Part one: In-home services and moving to independent living
In an attempt to familiarize the public with the full breadth of Holland Home’s services, we have created a fictionalized account of a resident working her way through the Holland Home system-from our services available in the home like home health care and hospice-through the full continuum of care from independent living to skilled nursing and benevolent care. We hope you enjoy this three-part series and that it answers some of the questions you might have about Holland Home.
Part One: In-Home Services and Moving to Independent Living
It was early morning — Ruth VanDyke’s favorite time of day. She pulled on her gardening gloves, picked up her bucket of supplies and opened the back door. The air was sweet, and the sun’s rays made the drops of dew on the grass sparkle like diamonds.
She would enjoy the warmth on her face while she tended her precious garden. Life was good-she was truly blessed.
Ruth was getting up from weeding around the peonies she’d planted thirty years ago when the children were little, when her leg slid on the wet grass and twisted under her. She closed her eyes against the pain and called frantically for her husband, Bob.
The visit to the emergency room was a blur-all she remembered was the doctor saying she would need surgery to repair her broken ankle and that she would have to stay off that foot for several weeks. How was Bob going to manage-taking care of her and the house all by himself?
The nurses in the hospital took excellent care of her, but Ruth couldn’t relax. What was she going to do when it was time to go home? Finally, the afternoon arrived, and Bob was busy packing up her things. Ruth could control her anxiety no longer.
“What are we going to do when we get home?” she blurted out. “You can’t take care of me all by yourself.”
Bob turned around and smiled. “Don’t worry, darling, we’ve got HomeCare of Holland Home coming. Everything is already arranged.”
Ruth was sitting in her favorite chair, her foot on an ottoman, when the doorbell rang. Bob opened the door and a cheery voice called out, “Hi, Ruth, I’m here.”
The home health aide from HomeCare of Holland Home walked into the room and greeted Ruth with a big smile. “Are you ready for that bath?”
Ruth nodded eagerly. She looked forward to the visits from the aides, nurses and physical therapists sent by HomeCare of Holland Home. They were always cheerful and friendly as well as very knowledgeable. She enjoyed talking to them and always felt better after their visit.
Her ankle was healing nicely, and the doctor was confident that very soon she would be back on her feet and out working in her garden again.
Life was good.
The doctor broke the news as gently as possible. Ruth squeezed Bob’s hand tight when they heard the words.
“I’m afraid there’s nothing more we can do for Bob’s cancer,” the doctor said. “Eventually you might want to think about hospice care.” He took a brochure from his desk and handed it to them. “Faith Hospice would be an excellent choice. Their team will come right to your home. And, if at some point care becomes too difficult, they have a beautiful hospice residence in Byron Center.”
Ruth tucked the pamphlet into her purse. She was determined to care for Bob herself, just as he had cared for her when she’d had her surgery, but it made her feel comfortable that there was someone she could call if that should no longer be possible.
They spent as many nights as they could sitting in their favorite spot in the garden and enjoying visits from family and friends. Bob got tired more quickly, but otherwise, he seemed like his old self. At times Ruth was almost able to convince herself that the doctors had made a mistake, and Bob didn’t have cancer after all.
Eventually, however, his pain increased, and he began to suffer from breathlessness. Ruth called the doctor, and he urged her to contact Faith Hospice.
“They’re the experts in pain control and symptom management,” he told Ruth. “I’m confident that they will be able improve Bob’s quality of life.”
A week later Ruth did call Faith Hospice. The doctor was very understanding and prescribed medication that eased Bob’s pain and decreased his sense of breathlessness. A volunteer came to sit with him, and Ruth was able to get her hair done and do some shopping without worrying. She felt like a new woman.
She and Bob were able to sit in the garden again, enjoying the familiar view and watching as the sun set every night.
Life was good.
It snowed the day Bob died. Ruth was grateful for the bereavement services offered by Faith Hospice. She was able to meet with a counselor and eventually joined a support group for spouses that met every Wednesday afternoon.
Her pain lessened as the months went by, but her loneliness didn’t. The house seemed cold and empty without Bob’s company. She had never wanted to leave the home they’d built together-where they’d raised their three kids and celebrated every holiday as a family-but the place didn’t feel the same anymore. The children had gone back to their own lives after the funeral-Bob Jr. called regularly from Houston where he worked as an engineer; Sarah made the eight hour trek from Ohio to visit as often as her own family obligations would allow and Tommy called every Saturday night from California. But it wasn’t the same.
A surprise snowstorm trapped Ruth in the house for a long weekend. She couldn’t shovel the drive herself anymore, and the plowing service she called was too busy dealing with its regular customers. Ruth hadn’t been able to make it to the grocery store, and by Sunday night the only thing she had left to eat was a bag of microwave popcorn.
By Monday morning, the storm had passed, and a kind neighbor came and shoveled for her. Ruth bundled up and cautiously made her way down the long, sloping driveway to the mailbox. She was nearly there when she almost fell and had to spend several minutes leaning on the mailbox, catching her breath and waiting for her panicked heartbeat to return to normal.
She glanced through the mail as soon as she made it safely back to the house. Junk mail, as usual. There was a colorful, oversized postcard from Breton Woods, a nearby retirement community. It was an invitation to a luncheon and tour of their new building. Ruth noticed they were run by Holland Home, the same company that had provided her home care and hospice services.
Ruth wasn’t ready for that yet. But for some reason, she didn’t throw the card away. Instead, she left it on the foyer table where the cheerful pictures of residents having fun caught her eye every time she went past.
By the end of the week, Ruth had called to reserve her spot at the luncheon at Breton Woods. What did she have to lose? If it really wasn’t for her, there would be no harm done.
Ruth enjoyed the luncheon and her tour of Breton Ridge, the new building on the Breton Woods campus, immensely. She was particularly impressed by Holland Home’s guarantee of lifetime care. She and Bob had always been careful with their finances, but she knew that nursing care was expensive, and it was always possible that she would run out of money. The idea of lifetime care was very comforting.
Holland Home’s mission also struck a chord with Ruth—
“In fulfilling God’s calling to serve others we will:
- Serve with love and compassion
- Commit to excellence
- Follow Christ’s teaching and example in all we do”
It didn’t take too many more snowy weekends to convince Ruth that moving to Breton Woods was the right thing to do. The ground was barely thawed before she was hammering a “for sale” sign into the front lawn.
The transition to her new lifestyle was easier than she expected. Her attractive apartment was large enough to accommodate many of her cherished pieces of furniture, and she had a beautiful patio where she planned an extensive container garden once the weather got warm enough.
Everyone was extremely friendly, and Ruth couldn’t believe the number of activities available. She joined an armchair aerobics class, the book club and got caught up in helping with the jigsaw puzzle that was always available.
It was early spring and Ruth looked out her window to see that a last, late snow was blanketing the ground. She enjoyed watching it, savoring her cup of tea and knowing that the weather could no longer trap her. She was an elevator ride away from a whole host of activities, and, if that weren’t enough, there was free shuttle transportation to Breton Terrace where there were even more things to get involved in.
Ruth was rinsing out her cup when there was a knock on her door.
“Hi, neighbor,” the couple next door chorused when Ruth opened the door. “We were wondering if you’d care to join us for lunch in the Bistro? It’s our favorite-soup and salad day.”
“I’d love to. Let me just get my sweater.”
Ruth turned from the door and smiled.
Life was good.
April 21st, 2009 | Posted in Breton, General, HomeCare | Share this on Facebook or Twitter
HomeCare of Holland Home releases new radio commercial for Greater Grand Rapids market
HomeCare of Holland Home launched a new radio commercial last month for the greater Grand Rapids area. The 60-second spot brings to light the hectic schedules of today’s working adult children, who are also pressed with assuring excellent health care options for their aging parents.
With the popularity of home health growing on a national scale, HomeCare of Holland Home is already uniquely positioned around Grand Rapids.
“We’ve been a nationally-ranked, top 25% home health agency for the past three years,” said Carolyn Flietstra, executive director for HomeCare of Holland Home. “The commercial communicates our clear understanding of the situation and our commitment to those in our area needing home health services in a perfect extension from Holland Home,” she added.
Listen to the new HomeCare radio commercial.
The new radio spot can also be heard on 1300 WOOD-AM, STAR 105.7 FM, and The River 100.5 FM. For more information, visit our HomeCare of Holland Home page.
April 14th, 2009 | Posted in HomeCare | Share this on Facebook or Twitter
The Holland Home Wellness Series Presents…The ABCs of Medicare, Medicaid and the VA Benefit
Are You Prepared for the Future?
You may think you won’t need to access benefits like Medicare or Medicaid, but life can take unexpected turns. Please join us for an informative talk that will help you understand what is available to you-when and if you should need it.
Light refreshments.
Please RSVP to 616-643-2728.
Tuesday, May 12 at 7:00 p.m.
Breton Terrace – Centre Place
2500 Breton Woods Drive
Thursday, May 14 at 2:00 p.m.
Raybrook Manor – Friendship Room
2121 Raybrook Street, SE
Thursday, May 14 at 7:00 p.m.
Fulton Manor – Chapel
1450 East Fulton Street
April 13th, 2009 | Posted in General | Share this on Facebook or Twitter
Raybrook and Fulton Manors Receive Four Star Ranking
Holland Home is very proud to announce that its Raybrook and Fulton Manors have received four star rankings in U.S. News & World Report Magazine’s latest quarterly listing of “America’s Best Nursing Homes.” Nursing homes are ranked by the magazine according to scores in three different categories-health inspections, nurse staffing and individual quality measures.
“I think part of our success can be traced to our mission statement which encourages us to ‘commit to excellence,’” said Mina Breuker, executive vice president for residential services. “We believe in going above and beyond for our residents.”
April 3rd, 2009 | Posted in Fulton, General, Raybrook | Share this on Facebook or Twitter