Thelma and her husband Ken were married for almost 58 years and shared a rich and fulfilling life together. Near the end of Ken’s life, he required complex care which shifted Thelma’s purpose from being a loving spouse to a devoted caregiver.
In 2010, Ken passed away leaving Thelma on her own, without purpose. That said, Thelma still lived a fairly active life. Thelma moved to Sidney in 2014. Residents of Sidney would regularly see her walking around town with her walker. That is until COVID-19 reared its ugly head on the world. Due to Thelma being part of a vulnerable population, she became quite lonely and isolated while remaining confined in her condo.
Not long after the pandemic started, Thelma was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and heart failure. Care aids would come to the home three times per day. Thelma didn’t want to leave her condo. She was scared and lonely.
In May 2023, Thelma’s care team had a meeting to discuss her ongoing care. The case manager noticed there was memory decline and was concerned about her functioning independently at home. Thelma wasn’t eating well and had several falls living on her own, resulting in broken bones.
When discussing a future living arrangement with Thelma, she was adamant she was okay and didn’t want to leave her condo and lose the independence she spent a lifetime developing for herself. Discussions between Thelma’s care team and Thelma’s family resulted in a shared conclusion. Thelma doing “okay” wasn’t good enough anymore. It was time to give her the best care possible.
Thelma reluctantly agreed to visit the Assisted Living at SHOAL Centre. During that visit, Thelma came across two care aids who worked at SHOAL, who also helped Thelma at home. Those familiar faces immediately put Thelma at ease. By the end of the visit, after seeing how much fun residents were having, Thelma’s demeanor about moving to SHOAL shifted from reluctant to excited.
By mid-July Thelma’s family received a call that a room was available and that she could move in on August 1st. On Thelma’s first day there was a sign on her door that read “Welcome Home, Thelma.” Looking at her family with joy in her eyes, Thelma pointed to the sign with pride.
Thelma’s family would call and visit regularly. They noted that only one week into Thelma moving to SHOAL, she had to abruptly end a phone conversation because “Dominos is about to begin, and the gang is all waiting for me.” Thelma’s family happily ended the call so she could be with her new friends.
In another call, Thelma’s family noticed a knock on the door. When asked who was at her door, Thelma replied “Oh that’s Douglas*, he walks me to lunch and dinner every day and we eat together.” This gave Thelma’s family peace knowing that she found a good friend at SHOAL.
SHOAL provided Thelma a new purpose to her life, a purpose she lost after Ken passed away. SHOAL rejuvenated Thelma’s spirit and gave her a new community. Thelma had no worries and could simply enjoy life. Everything was taken care of for her including housekeeping, meals, support with bathing, laundry, grocery shopping, and drives to medical appointments.
One of the highlights of Thelma’s experience (besides her new companion Douglas*) was when students would come in from local elementary and high schools to play board games with residents. Thelma always looked forward to these special visits from the students.
Around the 2023 holiday season, Thelma contracted the COVID-19 virus. In the spring of 2024, Thelma’s health began to take a turn for the worse. She was brought to Saanich Peninsula Hospital and passed away in May 2024.
While Thelma’s time at SHOAL was short, it was so impactful that in lieu of a formal service, the family elected to have a “Thank you Tea” event at SHOAL Centre Assisted Living so they could thank the staff and residents who had become extended family and made Thelma’s last few months purposeful and filled with joy.
When asked about Thelma’s quality of life before going into SHOAL, her family replied “2.5 at best.” Upon moving into SHOAL Centre Assisted Living, Thelma’s quality of life completely changed for the better with her family replying “9.0 on most days, a full 10 out of 10 the week she won a gift basket.” When asked about Thelma’s life if she never went to SHOAL, her family replied “It would have dropped to a 2 or worse. She was lonely, depressed and couldn’t take care of her own essentials anymore.”
In a parting message to SHOAL Centre Assisted Living staff, volunteers and residents, Thelma’s family said:
“Thank you to everyone at SHOAL, you turned Mom’s final weeks and months from a constant string of dark nights into consecutive bright days. We are eternally grateful for that.”
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*Name has been changed to protect the privacy of the individual.