Life at The Lighthouse, Stories of The Lighthouse

Lillian moves out

Lillian in her room 

Lillian moved into a suite at the Lighthouse just under two years ago after having a brief stay in our women’s shelter. She has a fun-loving, warm personality and is very caring of others. We wanted to give Lillian the care she need as well. Unfortunately Lillian is not so steady on her feet anymore and has trouble swallowing sometimes.

Lillian’s family tries to give her assistance in keeping her apartment clean but they have health issues of their own and are not able to help as much as they would like. We helped her receive home care, which aided in helping her take baths and keep her room clean but it became apparent that she needed more support than we could provide.

She was approved to be on the wait list for the next available care home bed but where she really wanted to go was Sunnyside, as she had some friends staying there and it was easily accessible by transit so her family could visit.

 

This week Lillian found out she was accepted to move into Sunnyside. After a whirlwind pack of her room her we headed out.

A group from the Canadian Federation of University Women collects used carry-on luggage for use by our clients.

Often when our clients move out we are amazed at the amount of stuff they have collected. Living in poverty and moving around a lot can sometime lead to tenants accumulating a lot of clothes, trinkets, household supplies and other items. Sometimes it is more cost effective to get new clothing than to pay to go to a laundry mat (although we do offer free laundry at the Lighthouse).

Moving Suitcase and walker - off to the care home

Many of our clients arrive and leave with their worldly possessions in black garbage bags as that is all they have

Windy Day

The day Lillian moved was extremely windy. She was nervous when we arrived and wanted a quick smoke but it was almost impossible to light her cigarette in the wind.[/caption]

Everyone at Sunnyside immediately made Lillian feel welcome. They asked about her favourite foods and what activities she liked.

Lillian's new room

Lillian’s new room

First Meal At Her New Place

First Meal At Her New Place

Lillian Friends

The Care Director, Lillian’s new roommate, and Lillian

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