I'm in the middle of getting a first hand lesson in the real value of late stage care and what it means to people
I only have a few months left to enjoy being with my Mum. She has incurable liver cancer which has already spread to one of her ribs as of a month ago, probably more than one now. Although she's not in an OCA facility it is wonderful to see she is being well supported by the her friends, family, the nurse of the retirement village where she has resided for the last ten years and the local DHB are stepping up her in unit assistance as her needs change. There's a very good hospice just down the road for when things get really tough and at this stage she attends a weekly outpatient support group where other terminal patients who are still mobile meet. I've got to say I think the local DHB and hospice have been very good so far...so really good care is certainly not limited to just OCA facilities but this experience is shining the spotlight for me on the true value of high quality care for our elderly folks. I thought long and hard about getting her moved to a really good care suite at the Sands with a nice view of the beach, (money is no object when it comes to my Mum as far as I am concerned), but the truth is she is so happy in her current retirement village surrounded by all her friends, one of whom is a retired nurse, I think she would be really miserable anywhere else. She has a nice sunny two bedroom unit with its own sunroom and her sister who is 9 years younger and still very well has flown up from Dunedin to stay for the next 6 weeks. She told me today they sit in the sunroom together in the morning over a coffee and breakfast and talk about their early days together.
I initiated a weekly meeting for our extended family so we all meet each Saturday for lunch and to reflect on our life together as a family which is a really cool way to riminess about old times. Most of the brothers wives come along most of the time. Mum told me last week she feels completely surrounded with loving arms and heaps of support. There is nothing more I could hope to hear than this at this time. It brought tears to my eyes and really gives me a fresh understanding of the value that real quality support provides for elderly vulnerable people. At this point she is pain free...I know it will get more grueling later on but I feel blessed to have a chance to spend time with her these last few months and to say goodbye while her mind is unaffected by any serious hard core pain medication.
The specialists are confident she will at least make it to her 91st birthday late next month...they gave her 5-8 months as of early July. Although this is not a story of OCA care, OCA do have an excellent reputation for late stage care and I think investors can feel a real sense of satisfaction of being a part of a company that's doing so much good for our elderly vulnerable folks.
I get the warm fuzzies as a shareholder that I'm a small part in this enterprise that does so much good.