Hello, my name is Rosemary Pearson and I want to tell you how Seniors Transition Solutions was created. One day my 93 year old father was getting out of bed when he felt severe back pain. He lay back in bed for an hour. When he did get up, he was still in pain. He continued his daily activities, however not to the degree as he normally would. After two days my sister took him to emergency. After a series of tests, the doctor told him that he had a cracked vertebra and would no longer be able to live on his own.

The doctor recommended two options. He could go into a long-term care facility or stay with a family member. He opted to stay with my sister.

Very quickly my sister, who had a young child, realized that caring for our elderly father was going to be very challenging. Living with her family was not the right long-term solution, nor could he go from one family’s members to another’s. We felt overwhelmed by the situation and knew he needed a new home.

I contacted Champlain Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) and asked them how soon we could get him into a nursing home. I was told some homes had waiting lists up to a year long. CCAC suggested we put my father in a retirement home assisted living. They also sent me an information package which consisted of: planning for long-term care and information on long term care and residential homes(retirement homes).

We held a family meeting to discuss options with my father. From there I did the research, there was a lot of information to process. It was overwhelming at times. I narrowed the search down to three retirement homes which we looked at over a weekend. It was the third home we all liked. My father moved in a week later. A month after he moved into the retirement home we all commented on how well he had adjusted. It was the happiest we had seen him in a long time. I really enjoyed helping my father find a suitable retirement home. He was the catalyst for the creation of Seniors Transition Solutions. I experienced what it is like dealing with a loved one’s aging process. It made me recognize that there is a need out there to help other seniors in a similar situation.