It is as though time has stood still. There she is, lying on the sofa, all of 80 pounds, weak and frail, having difficulty breathing, as cancer eats away at her body. Here I am standing in her kitchen, looking for the ingredients to make her pancakes, one of the few foods she yearns for. As I make my way around, I see ingredients that have sat untouched for a very long time. Thinking back to the special memories she has shared with me, I think of how active "Velma" (name has been changed) was in her day before old age and illness became her newfound reality.
I could tell, looking through her cupboards, that she had been an avid cook and baker in her time. There sat her precious "good dishes" purchased by her late husband during the depression with cigarette money he had stashed away after he decided to quit smoking. She recalled that memory to me one day as we sat together in the waiting room of the hospital while waiting for an MRI. Her eyes lit up with fond memories and love for her late husband who passed away a few years earlier from Alzheimer's. She had lovingly cared for him at home for many years. And now at age 92 it is her turn to be cared for.
It is because of seniors like this that Cornerstone Community Care Ottawa began last year as an answer to prayer for seniors needing assistance, as well as for their primary caregivers, usually the sons and daughters of our elderly.
Some adult children still have their own kids at home and now their parents are struggling to maintain their own independence, all the while wanting to stay at home in familiar surroundings, but finding it impossible to manage. They don't want to be a burden on their families, so it is with great relief that they can call upon Cornerstone Communiyt Care Ottawa to take over many of the daily chores that need to be done. We provide compassionate non-medical care, including personal care and support, domestic help with housekeeping, meals, gardening and companionship, including accompanying seniros to appointments, church, shopping, or just sitting on a bench at one of our beautiful parks and taking time to smell the roses. It could be that mom and /or dad have already been placed in a retirement home or nursing home due to health issues or dementia. We often think that all their needs will be met in a place such as this, until we experience for ourselves that certain expectiations are not always fulfilled.
We at Cornerstone Community Care Ottawa are here to provide family caregivers relief without having to feel guilt. Caregivers may struggle with taking time off work or with setting boundaries of how much time they give to their parents versus their own kids. They are slowly becoming the parent to their parents, and can easily become resentful if their parent's needs take precedence over everything else going on in their lives.
Caregivers don't have to take half a day off work to take their dad to an appointment. We can do that for them, and they will be given a full report. They may be away for the weekend, and unable to take their loved one to church on Sunday. There is no need to feel guilty or change their plans. We can take their loved one to church and out for lunch after if that is their desire.
The idea for Conerstone Community Care Ottawa blossomed from owner Carolyn Fredeen's nursing background and realization that if she and her family needed additional assistance to adequatley meet her parents' needs, then there must be many more families who require help as well. Carolyn's goal, along with her caring associates, is to provide our elderly clients with the loving, compassionate and respectul care and support they deserve, to make their final years as enjoyable and comfortable as possible. A complimentary one-hour consultation can provide clients with an agreed plan that will ensure caregivers and their loved ones are supported and cared for during this journey.
Every time I leave Velma's home, she gives me a big smile, a huge hug, a kiss on the cheek and says "You problably get tired of me saying how much I appreciate you and what you do for me." And each time I reply, "I'm so glad I can help you make your life just a little easier. It is my pleasure."
We're here for you, when you need a helping hand.