Andrea's mother, Mrs. Ophelia G., lived in a facility and spent her time in double-occupancy room for five years. Her breathing needed to be monitored 24/7, due to a chronic condition. Bedridden and unable to speak, Mrs. G hadn't been outside for years. She only saw her daughter when she visited the nursing home after her work shift. Then, one day while they were sitting together, they had a revelation that changed everything.
Andrea remembers a specific visit to the nursing facility well. “One day, I was hanging out with my mom, just chit-chatting and watching TV,” she recalls, “And I turned to her, and she turned to me, and I said, ‘We could be doing this at home.’”
Andrea went to an Ability Fair at Stockton and asked several vendors the same question: “My mom is in a nursing home. She’s on a ventilator. I want to get her home. What do I need to do?” A visiting nurse agency told her, ‘We don’t take care of people on ventilators, but BAYADA does, and their table is over there.”
That week, a BAYADA liaison visited them in the nursing home. Before long, a whole BAYADA team—including nurses, clinical managers, and a social worker—were on-site to transition Mrs. G. back home, and coordinated all the insurance coverage, equipment, and medication she needed. BAYADA also made sure her family members were equipped and trained to provide care at home in the event of various emergencies, including the area’s familiar power outages.
At home now, Mrs. G. has regained some self-care abilities, and—because her BAYADA team taught her how to breathe and talk with a tracheostomy and ventilator—she's regaining the ability to speak. To the delight of her family and nursing staff, she’s even singing!
Mrs. G. received physical and occupational therapy in the comfort of home, as well as speech language pathology. Her BAYADA Nurses have helped her with exercises that improved her strength and range of motion. Now, she is noticeably stronger and has a much better grip. Her nurses help her get out of bed more frequently, and take her outside when weather permits.
Reflecting on how far her mother has come, Andrea says, “The biggest difference for me is the one-on-one care. That’s peace of mind. The whole BAYADA team wants Mom to do well. People come one-on-one to encourage her, to help her, to advocate for her—that makes a huge difference! My mom is home, and she’s happier than I’ve seen her in a long time.”
The BAYADA Nurses working with Mrs. G. love what they do and feel rewarded by the
meaningful connections they’ve developed, helping her live safely at home with
comfort, independence, and dignity. They go the extra mile every day, some even
texting pictures to Andrea to share daily successes and letting her know her mom’s
okay. It truly makes Andrea feel that her mom's at home and in good hands.
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