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Supportive Living Environments for Older Adults: Summary
CASE STUDY 2: SAM & RITA Sam, age 86, and Rita, age 85, have been married for 62 years and have lived in the same home for over 50 years. They love the familiarity of their neighborhood, and about half of their neighbors have also lived there for decades. Rita was diagnosed with a form of dementia more than five years ago but recently has had drastic declines and now totally relies on Sam. Sam often has to transfer her, help her with personal hygiene, and monitor her every move to make sure she doesn’t fall. Their home has been neglected, and Sam and Rita have limited their living area to specific rooms because of the piles of papers, books, mail, and other items that simply accrue due to their inability to maintain their space as they had in the past. Sam and Rita’s children stopped visiting the house more than 15 years ago because of the clutter and overwhelming hoarding situation. While they tried to encourage their parents to clean up the house, Sam and Rita absolutely refused and told the children to back off. Reluctantly, the children listened and would meet their parents at the local coffee shop at various times throughout the week. Over time, the house situation got more difficult—their oven was broken, the lightbulbs were often out, and there were electrical outlets that didn’t work. Sam and Rita refused outside help and became more and more isolated as her dementia worsened. Sam, who had shifted to an iPhone, went to his cell provider and switched to 5g. But he rarely used the phone, even though his children had installed an app with a fall prevention monitor. One day, Sam fell, and the phone signaled the call center, triggering a well check from the police. When the police arrived, they found Sam on the floor. Rita, in a state of confusion, was anxiously pacing and chattering, walking within the hazardous piles that surrounded the walking path. The house was in complete disarray and poorly lit. Adult Protective Services were called, as were the children.
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