Aging At Home Success Stories

Recovering At Home

Carol recently suffered a serious fall and broke several vertebrae at the base of his spine. He spent a number of weeks in hospital with his mobility severely limited. Living alone, he and his family made it clear he wanted to continue his recuperation in the comfort of his own home.

Carol's needs were a good match for the Home First program, funded by the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). A care team (which included a nurse, occupational therapist and personal support worker) was assembled to assist Carol. As his recovery continued, a physiotherapist began working with him.

Since returning home, Carol has made steady progress in regaining his mobility.

"I'm managing quite well in my home with the assistance I'm getting," Carol says. "The people providing my care are all friendly, professional and wonderful to work with. I feel safe and confident with the support I'm getting and am very happy with the pace of my recovery."

Checking In On Seniors

TeleCheck - supported by the Central West LHIN - uses trained volunteers to call seniors each day to 'check in.' Anyone over 55 years of age is able to use this free service which is available in English, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Spanish and Portuguese. TeleCheck seeks to empower their clients so they can live as fully as possible while providing educational tips to seniors (such as avoiding falls, managing diabetes, and proper heart care). 

"It's nice to talk to someone and it's easier for me to share my feelings because they speak the same language," said a Punjabi speaking client. "Last year was tough because of my wife's death and I really appreciate the help."

Supporting Parkinson's Patient and His Wife

The Going Home program - funded by the Champlain LHIN - provides home support to people discharged from hospital.

Rudolf was referred to this innovative program by a discharge planner after a lengthy stay at The Ottawa Hospital. Suffering from advanced Parkinson's disease, he and his wife Linda needed help around the house while he was recuperating. Osgoode Home Support provided light housekeeping, and program staff also visited the home to stay with Rudolf so that his wife could do chores and get respite during a 10-day post-discharge period.

"It was a wonderful service," says Linda. "It meant so much to me. I could do the things I needed to do without worrying about my husband."

Neighbourhood Model Provides Many Services to New Resident

The Neighbourhood Model for Seniors at Risk - supported by the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant LHIN - provided a number of services for Mrs. R who had moved to Hamilton with her daughter after the death of her husband.

Secure subsidized housing was arranged for Mrs. R who had been living with her daughter's friend. Since she has multiple health issues - including hearing impairment and bone density deficiencies - Mrs. R obtained a health card and a local family doctor through the Hamilton Urban core Community Health Centre.

This program also arranged drug funding for Mrs. R through the Trillium Drug Plan and a subsidy for her hearing aid through the Assistive Devices Program.

Mrs. R could also not afford to eat in a healthy manner and was significantly underweight, so arrangements were made to receive meals-on-wheels daily.