A resident is going home

During the two years I have lived at this facility, not very many residents have gone home. “Angie” (a resident in her 40s) arrived here in March and I wrote about her psychotic episode in an April blog. 

When her many belongings arrived, most of them were stored in the basement.  Some were put in her room and having them around seemed to make her feel more at home.

Angie tried hard to adjust. She went outside in the early spring and ate meals on the patio with other residents. She listened to her Christian music and she really seemed to care about others and talked to them easily. 

She mothered other residents and spent time with the facility dog. Although she still had behavior problems, her mood did level out somewhat.

During .the summer Angie began to go for overnight visits with her sister. A couple of times she was gone for more than a week. When she returned, she looked better and rested. Instead of her face being red and raw from her nervous picking, her complexion was clear. 

Angie began to make plans to go home. After that, her mood improved. I talked with her the other day and she is going home next week. She will live with her sister until spring when she will get her own apartment and health aides to assist her.

She plans to attend a mixed-age adult day care where she can do crafts to keep busy. Then she can begin to plan for her life on her own. 

Maybe Angie’s sound and fury when she first arrived herewere signs that she was motivated to work on leaving the facility. I hope things work out for her and that she can have the kind of life she wants.

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