Home Care and Horticulture
April 28, 2010
We have a consumer who had a stroke when he was only 50 years old. It has left him with dementia, speech impairments, and physical weakness. When we first started visiting him over two years ago, he was bed bound or wheelchair bound at all times. He had a catheter and was barely able to communicate. He has since improved a great deal but still has far to go and is still wheelchair bound for extended outings.
His wife is a full-time teacher and they have 3 teenage kids – all living at home and all very involved in extracurricular activities. Since the stroke his wife has not only devoted every waking hour at home to his care, she has also remained very active in her kids lives – juggling her work, her kids individual and personal lives, and her home. Although she has much on her plate, she still manages to spend time on the necessary household duties as well. However when the stoke occured, they had numerous plants and they were starting to fade as there are only so many hours in the day.
A year ago, they had a new caregiver start visiting them. The caregiver does his bathing and dressing, helps him to the toilet, and helps with any mobility needs he may have. She tidies up after him, cleaning the bathroom and kitchen, making his bed and folding his laundry. She provides a meal and does a little extra housekeeping as time allows.
His wife was, and is, very happy with her. His wife soon started to realize that their plants were looking better. Each week they were healthier than the week before.
During a regular conversation, we learned that the caregiver has a degree in horticulture. Besides fitting in a very regimented and rushed schedule she took the time to make sure the plants got some needed attention as well. Now his wife marvels at how good the plants always look and the fact that it’s the little things – the small gestures that sometimes make the biggest impact.
