A CLIENT’S STORY

FINDING HOME AFTER COVID-19

Helena is a client in Region 2 who was admitted to a nursing facility in November 2019 for rehabilitation following a knee replacement. In early 2020, just before she was set to be discharged, Helena fell and fractured her ankle. She had to get surgery and stay at the nursing facility for another few months. Shortly after COVID-19 struck Washington at the end of February, Helena contracted the virus. Although her case was not severe enough to require hospitalization, she had to watch as friends at the nursing facility died or were hospitalized. Staff turnover was very high and visitation was restricted. Although her two daughters made a point of stopping by her window at least twice every day, Helena had a very difficult time not being able to see her family, friends and familiar staff like she was used to. After a few months, Helena recovered from COVID-19 and was able to bear weight on her ankle again. She resumed physical therapy to continue improving, with a goal of returning home with one of her daughters. Unfortunately, shortly before Helena, her case manager and her family set up a new discharge date, Helena suffered another fall. In the weeks that followed, she began to decline. Her cognition changed and she was increasingly confused and started to hallucinate. She lost the ability to safely walk up and down stairs, making a return to her daughter’s two-story home difficult. After meeting with Helena’s case manager, her daughters reluctantly agreed it was not safe for their mom to go home. Instead, they began looking for a local adult family home, where Helena could be near family while receiving the support she needed. She moved into her new adult family home in August. In the months since, Helena has thrived. She enjoys being outside and especially loves reading books on the deck.

“She loves the adult family home,” one of her daughters said. “The people, she said, treat her like a queen and every time I’m there, it shows.” Because she is close by, her daughters can visit her often, wearing masks and social distancing on the deck outside the adult family home. Helena’s daughter also thanked her mom’s case manager, who she called a godsend for the family. “We were at our wits’ end and she really went out of her way to help not just mom, but to reassure my sister and I and truly, she changed all of our lives for the better.”