More Tributes for Dad

Connecting with first great-grandson, Cameron!

Last week I received an email from Tara at Nurse Next Door.  I had contacted NND a couple of years ago looking for support for both Dad and Birgit.  For over a year they provided a twice-a-month service allowing Birgit to get out and do her shopping and other errands.  Just before Dad died, it was obvious that he and Birgit were going to need much more care and I phoned NND to ask for someone to come to help Dad.  Despite it being very last minute, Tara was able to find Juvy who tended to Dad for over five hours; she was going to come back the next day to be with him too.

Here's the email exchange between Tara and me. (I did try to do the review but there were technical issues).

Good morning Gerrie,

I hope you, Birgit, and family are doing well!

We held a staff meeting last week and I was speaking with Juvy who asked if I knew how Mrs. Brook was doing, which made me think to reach out to you. 

As one of our initiatives for February, we are excitedly trying to increase our Google reviews to help others find the best care for themselves and their loved ones, as well as let us know how we are doing.

We are always looking for more ways to make lives better in our community, and I was wondering if you would be comfortable with leaving us a Google review regarding the care provided for your Dad.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Wishing you a wonderful day and please know you are often in our thoughts. 

My response

Hi Tara - what a lovely email to get.  Thank you for remembering us.  Juvy is a wonder - remembering after almost a year!  We were so impressed that Nurse Next Door was able to find someone (especially Juvy) on such short notice.

Please tell her that we think of her with kindness for making Dad's last hours as good as possible.  Birgit is doing well.  We (my sister and I) take turns visiting her (I live in Markham, Corrine in Pickering) every two weeks.  Birgit said after Dad died that she was relieved but felt guilty that she felt that way - a most normal reaction.  She is a most capable woman and has started to relax now that she is not a caregiver but like us she misses him terribly.

Please let Juvy know that we appreciate her thinking of us.  If you could, could you share this blog with her so that she remembers Dad in a different way - he truly was a one of a kind guy.  We were able to have a full military funeral for him at Beechwood in the National Military Cemetery there.  That too was very special.

I will indeed do a review.  One of our concerns at the time was the 3 hour minimum - it was hard for Dad and Birgit to have someone around for that length of time although when Birgit went shopping it worked okay.  Often Dad thought he had to be a host to the caregiver (he was the consummate host) and that bothered him sometimes.    I think that when Dad was still somewhat mobile they were both afraid of losing their independence.  It's a difficult tightrope to walk.

All the best and thank you for thinking of us.

Regards,

Gerrie

Tara's response

Good morning Gerrie,

Thank you for getting back to me and for your ever so kind words. 

I truly appreciate the feedback that you provide in your email and we will certainly use that. 

I will be sure to pass along the blog to Juvy and I took a look myself as well. What a beautiful tribute to your Dad and his life. I think this is such a good idea for families to do to remember their loved ones by, and especially for the years of service that your Dad gave.

I am glad to hear that you, Birgit and family are doing well. You really are often in my thoughts, as I often talk about about how your Dad was our only client in his 100's and use him and Birgit (without names of course) as an example in our training days with new caregivers. It always put a smile on their face. 

Thank you again for touching base. It was great to hear from you.

With warmest regards,

Tara