November 11, 2016 | Client Stories
In seeking a recommendation for an Aging Life Care™ Manager, families frequently turn to the trusted professionals that advise them on other important matters. In over 12 years of service to the San Diego community, we’ve had the honor of supporting hundreds of families through the caregiving journey.
When Windward Life Care was hired to evaluate his situation, John was a 90 year old widow living alone in his San Diego home. Family and friends were concerned about his depression, his driving, and physical changes they were witnessing. Together we developed a plan of care that supported John’s goal of staying at home for as long as possible, while considering future needs. His Care Manager established a relationship of trust with John, his family, and other members of his support network, including his long-time physician, and attorney. We served John for over four years, and he formed a lasting bond with his caregiver Olga, who provided much-needed companionship and assistance while he he was living at home, and after he moved into an assisted living apartment two years later. She worked closely with his Care Manager, who evaluated and responded to John’s changing needs. When his memory and physical health began to decline, Windward Life Care facilitated essential communications between John’s family, his physicians, and the staff of his assisted living community. When difficult decisions needed to be made, John and his family could rely upon the Care Manager for information and support. Through the years, we responded to emergencies when they happened, but also attended to the joyful aspects of John’s life, such as attendance at weekly church services, and frequent visits from friends. We mourned his passing with his loved ones, and felt grateful for the opportunity to have walked this long journey with a gentleman such as John.
“The responsibility for John weighed heavily on me as a long-distance caregiver, as he was a father-figure to me. The issues seemed to change daily, and their urgency increased. John’s agitation at his losses, and my anxiety for his safety, his health, and his peace of mind escalated until we were both near despair. Windward Life Care was nothing short of a god-send. The problems we faced couldn’t go away, but the distress, the feelings of inadequacy, and our fears of mistaken action did go away. John died at peace. I now live at peace knowing that the care he received from Windward Life Care was without parallel, and exactly what he needed”. -SEJ