Mary's Story – When the System Only Sees One Need

Mary is 84 and lives alone.

After a fall and a short hospital stay, she was assessed for home support. Because she could still manage some daily tasks herself, she qualified for only 15 minutes of medication support each day.

Every morning, a home support worker arrived, handed Mary her medications, and left.

What the system didn't see was everything else.

Mary was losing weight because standing long enough to prepare meals was difficult.

Her laundry piled up because carrying it downstairs was unsafe.

She was increasingly unsteady getting in and out of the bathtub.

She was forgetting appointments and becoming isolated.

The home support worker could see these struggles. Neighbours could see them too.

But there was no clear process to reassess her needs, report the risks, or provide additional support before a crisis occurred.

Weeks later, Mary fell again while trying to bathe herself.

She was hospitalized with a fractured hip and never returned home.

Home support should do more than deliver medications.

It should help identify changing needs, prevent crises, and support people to remain safely at home.

Healthcare should be proactive, not reactive.

Health Care Needs Home Care Campaign: https://www.healthcareneedshomecare.ca/