At over 100-years-young, Maria* was a kind woman with an amazing smile that could melt your heart. Enjoying life at home was important to her – and it’s where she wanted to be when she died. But palliative care supports that would have helped her to die at home were unavailable.
For another senior in our community, Beatrice*, who was 90+ years old and living with dementia, moving into a long-term care home was necessary to ensure she had the round-the-clock care that she urgently needed. But while waiting for a bed to become available, she was living with family who were straining to provide the level of care she required. The family was in crisis.
In both of these situations, the seniors and their family members were struggling to get the supports they
needed, when they needed it most. SPLC intervened, providing wraparound services that met the needs of each of these families.
Our basket of services for frail seniors with complex needs means we were able to call on a palliative care physician and LHIN Home & Community Care Coordinator in addition to internal expertise from our nurse practitioner, pharmacist, dietitian, and more, to address Maria’s needs. And, indeed, with these services in place, Maria was able to die peacefully at home, as she wished.
For Beatrice and her family, SPLC used every tool in our toolkit to support them through crisis, including
providing them with new strategies for coping with dementia, bringing in an overnight PSW, and making necessary changes to her medication. Our team provided this family with daily support
until her move to a more supportive environment.
SPLC’s dedicated team members provide holistic services tailored to the seniors we serve, making sure
that families have the right kinds of supports needed to help seniors at home.
* names have been changed to protect their privacy