Life is a Circle

Life Story of a Magnificent Caregiver

Life is a circle.  When parents have children, most love, protect and care for them.  As the children grow, so do the parents and there comes a time when the role is reversed and the children care for the parents as they age.  This happened with my mom back in 1994.

Mom’s Alzheimer disease had progressed to where my dad needed help caring for her.  My sister lived nearby but that wasn’t enough so we closed our decorating business in upstate New York and moved it to South Carolina to be close to mom and dad.  It’s sad to watch a loved one go downhill with Alzheimer, mom would have been 79 years old 10 days after she passed away on January 15, 2000 but we cherish all the memories we had with mom.

 

Fast forward to 2007 when my mother-in-law was 90 years old, still living on her own and quite mobile.  However we know she would need assistance from time to time so we talked to her about assisted living.  She agreed so we drove 1000 miles from South Carolina to New York to check out a few homes.  Like always, as soon as we arrived, she would get angry and say she didn’t want to move.  This went on steady until last spring when she finally agreed to move into independent living. It was similar to assisted living but it didn’t have a dining room, all residents cooked their own food, took care of daily chores, just like if they were in their own home.

 

Mom trying out her new sofa in her new apartment!

5 Generations!  Ma, Rich & me, our oldest daughter, one grandson and granddaughter plus our youngest great-grandson.

July 2017, just before she turned 100 years old, we went back up and moved her. But it was extra special because Rich and I also celebrated out 50th wedding anniversary so we had five generations all together!  She still did all her own cooking, cleaning, laundry, daily hygiene and even took care of her finances.  But towards the end of the year, she was having more problems of walking, even with her walker, she would forget to turn the over off and couldn’t get down to the laundry room easily.  That’s when we realized she needed help, even though she was so independent.  It wasn’t easy talking her into letting us find someone to come to her apartment, if even just to visit with her.   A person can only look at four walls for so long and she wasn’t interested in going to any of the activities that were offered.

 

We have been friends with a family in the area for over 50 years and when we realized Lori was a caregiver, we know right away this was going to work for Ma.   When the two meet in early January 2018, they both connected immediately.  She is sweet, kind, quiet and has that sense of “everything will be okay” attitude with Ma.  Within the months, Ma started slipping in her health and Lori spent more and more time with her.  She brought Easter gifts to her, new clothes and shoes, always made sure the fridge was full of her special treats and even brought her McDonald’s!  But after going to the emergency room and being in the hospital a few days, it was clear that assisted living was a must now.

 

Lori and her hubby had just returned from vacation but she went right into action, without hardly any sleep after driving 14 hours back to their home from Myrtle Beach. With the help of the hospital  case manager for Ma, she put me in contact with an agency to help find the best place for Ma.   It was a Tuesday that the manager of Heritage Home for Women went to the hospital to assess Ma.  Next thing I knew Lori called and told us they accepted Ma and she was moving right from the hospital to her new home!  The one request that Lori asked was could she drive her over instead of her having to go in the transport ambulance.  Lori didn’t want Ma to get nervous or scared, wondering where she was going.  Lori took over, made Ma comfortable in her transition and has been in constant contact with Ma making sure everything was going good with her.  She ordered Ma a new recliner and when she brought it to her room, she went down to ask Ma if she wanted to go see it.  Ma, who has never been one to socialize with people for I can’t remember how many years, told Lori she couldn’t go right then because she was doing activities with the others!  I don’t know what we would do if it wasn’t for Lori, she is our lifesaver, Rich and I love her so much!

 

Look how beautiful Ma’s new room is! Lori made sure to bring photos of the family, items that were in her previous home and even bought her stylish new shoes!

 

Being 1000 miles away isn’t easy with a 100-year-old mother, then moving her to assisted living right from the hospital but Lori Hazen has made the transition flawless. Don’t know what we would do without her! She even sends us photos of her giving Ma manicures and styling her hair! If you or any of your family or friends need someone to care for a loved one in the Schenectady, Guilderland, Albany area, you need Lori!!   

If you are in need of a kind, caring, loving, hard worker and over the top caregiver for your loved one, we highly recommend Lori Hazen.
Lori has been caring for our 100-year-old mother/mother-in-law since January 2018 and with us being 1000 miles away, she has taken a big load off our minds. Lori is not your typical “aide” or “home health aide”, she is more like family.
Ma immediately fell in love with Lori and was so at ease with her from day one. Lori took over her shopping, cleaning, laundry, and bathing, (even giving her manicures and pedicures plus styling her hair!)
Since it’s hard for Ma to walk even with her walker, Lori purchased a “high tech” walker with wheels, making it so much easier for Ma to get around.
Recently Ma called us crying because she couldn’t move her legs or stand up. She was taken to the ER where Lori promptly went up to see what was going on. This was the day Lori and her husband had just returned from their vacation and a 14 hour drive plus it was on a weekend. After a few days, we realized Ma wouldn’t be able to return to her home since she needed 24/7 care. We were able to have Ma moved to an assisted living home in Schenectady right from the hospital and if it wasn’t for Lori, we don’t know how this transition would have been so smooth. A new place for a 100-year-old person can be scary but Lori was with Ma throughout her move, even cleaning out her apartment and bringing her items to her new home. Lori also took charge of switching over Ma’s phone, cable and turned off her electric account. She organized her room, printed out family photos and framed them for Ma’s wall to give her room a comfortable and homey look plus filled a basket with snacks and drinks that don’t need refrigeration.
Just as Ma was getting settled, we had another setback when she was rushed to the ER again. Lori immediately changed her schedule and went to the ER to be with Ma. When she was discharged, Lori went back to the assisted living with Ma and sat with her while she had dinner to comfort her.
As we stated, Lori is not an “aide”, she is hands on the best “family member” you can have for your loved ones. Ma looks to Lori as a daughter and is so at ease with her and looks forward to seeing her. Since Ma has been in assisted living, Lori even ordered her a new recliner, picked it up and delivered it to the home!
If you have any questions or concerns about placing your loved ones in Lori’s care, feel free to call us (Lori has our phone number), she is tops in caring, loving and showing concern always.

Rich & Martha DeMeo
Little River, SC
June, 20, 2018