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Story Core: Meet Linda and Chris
What does a hard-working, new to Tulsa, single professional do when a parent needs 24-hour monitoring? Dr. Christopher Allen would say, “Word of mouth is probably the best way to find services, no matter what you are looking for. Several of my friends recommended LIFE, and I couldn’t be more pleased, honestly.”
Chris started seeing changes with his mother. There was an incident when her neighbors in Weatherford called. She was chasing her cat and fell. He then began noticing gaps in her memory in addition to her experiencing some new seizures. She was eventually diagnosed with vascular dementia.
Dr. Allen has led an interesting and varied work life. Currently a psychologist for the Veterans Administration, he helps veterans daily who struggle with a variety of challenges. He stated his interactions with veterans are some of the most rewarding work he’s ever done. “LIFE has been a good experience. I couldn’t be doing what I am doing, no way, if it wasn’t for the services at LIFE’s ADH (Adult Day Health) program,” he commented.
ADH has afforded him and his mother success not only by facilitating his continued crucial work assisting veterans, but also allowing Linda to thrive. “She was really nervous before, but they keep her engaged in all the activities.” When it comes to a person living with dementia, limiting the amount of changes they experience daily improves their circumstances. “Living with me, we do the same routine every day. Something I really like about LIFE, they have all this activity scheduled daily. The more engaged she stays the more likely she will retain the abilities she currently has. She wouldn’t be as happy as she is if it wasn’t for LIFE.”
He noted his mother’s skills in calligraphy and the precision of her handwriting. “I love the art activities she gets to do at LIFE.” Even though Linda requires monitoring, Chris reports, “She’s not difficult at all, in fact, she is quite pleasant to be around. I mainly just worry about not knowing what she might do from one minute to the next.”
Linda recently made the move to the new Roma Berry ADH Center. Chris said, “One of the nice things about Roma Berry is that if my mother is in a situation that causes her stress, there are plenty of other places and activities where she can change her environment.” In Weatherford, Linda was active at the Y. She attended a water aerobics class for years with the same group of women and truly enjoyed their company. Chris said, “If she was still in Weatherford, her likely only option now would be to live in a nursing home and have a much more isolated life. LIFE really meets a lot of social needs for her.” “Traditionally, people would care take of family members until they’re gone; generations take care of their older generations,” he said, “One of the most valuable aspects of LIFE is its ability to preserve the quality of life for elderly people. People who donate to LIFE have a purpose; they know they make a difference in people’s quality of life.” Chris remarked that loneliness is a killer just like heart disease or cancer. “It would be hard to be lonely while you’re at Adult Day Health. I see the daily interactions when I get there between the participants. Everybody who knows about LIFE has the same opinion, they think what you do is just wonderful."
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Meet Marybeth
LIFE’s SeniorLine recently received a call for help from a diabetic, 82-year old woman. Marybeth, had been shaking so badly she dropped and broke her blood/sugar monitor. The insurance company wouldn’t pay to replace it, and she couldn’t get through on the phone to her healthcare provider while their network was down. So, she called LIFE’s SeniorLine crying, scared, and frustrated.
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Meet Janet and Gil
Like so many other people who take on the role of caretaker for a loved one, Janet had no advance preparation or training. Fortunately, she was referred to LIFE’s Caretaker Support Program. “I didn’t know about senior daycare, I didn’t know about PACE. I didn’t know about any of it. But through talking to Erin (LIFE, LPC and case manager), she guided me in the right direction.”
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Meet JoAnn
As JoAnn was signing up for an upcoming LIFE EDU class, she suddenly said, "I want you to know that I just love LIFE Senior Services."
She first brought her husband to LIFE's Adult Day Health (ADH) 25 years ago and it was a lifesaver for her. He was an older spouse and developed Alzheimer's along with several other health issues.