Greetings friend, and welcome to the September Comfort Connection!

My husband and I were close to Steinbach one Sunday afternoon and decided to drop in to see my husband’s Uncle Bill who is living in a Personal Care Home.

We opened the front door, and there he was! He was just walking down the hall and coming out of the dining room. He wore dark glasses and walked with a walker. My husband, Bill, had to speak loudly for him to hear him. His gait was strong and his mind sharp. 

“It’s Billy!” my husband said loudly. Once my husband was able to tell him who he was, and to which family he belonged, Uncle Bill was able to place him.

“Oh, Oh – Billy! Melvin’s son! Yes, yes!!!” We worked our way over to his room. He had been moved from the second floor and now resides in a private room on the first floor so he doesn’t have to take the elevator anymore. He has no TV. He couldn’t hear or see it anyway. He had a special speaker for us to speak into so he could hear us through his headphones. I sat in the chair, and my husband sat on the walker while Uncle Bill sat on his bed. At the end of the bed, his motorized scooter was parked. The license plate read, “Got Moose?”

He was full of questions about my husband’s sister, his dad, his mom, and alllll the rest of the family! His excitement for our visit was tangible, I could almost taste it. Bill reminisced with Uncle about the time he had taken him out in the bushes to cut wood. He wasn’t sure he remembered that time. But he did remember the camping trip.

Bill told me he has one of his uncle’s storage trailers parked at the "wood yard," and for many years, my Bill cut and sold wood in the winter months. Little did Uncle Bill know how much of an influence he had been on my husband. We asked him how old he was – he said he was in his 98th year! He is presently 97, but he answered he was in his 98th year as if he was eagerly going forward to the next year. His physical body is failing, but his spirt was strong.

Later my husband shared with me how Uncle Bill was his favourite uncle. He used to take him into the barn and show him the horses. They took many trips with the horses into the bush to drag out wood. They picked mushrooms together and they both enjoyed Auntie’s baking! These memories live on and Uncle Bill lives in the richness of the life he once lived. Many family members stop by regularly to pay Uncle Bill a visit.

For us, it was a quick stop. But for Uncle Bill, our visit meant the world! Do you know someone who would love for you to stop by?

Blessings,

Katherine Peters
President & CEO

Comforts of Home – Care