Caregiving Story

To Whom It May Concern,
This is the story of a woman, a, Auschwitz concentration survivor, who fell in Miami, Florida, because she had heart troubles of which she had no knowledge.
Consequently, with the fall came a broken leg.

Being 86-years-old at the time, and financially comfortable, she was moved to a facility after her surgery, preventing her from returning to her apartment.
I went to visit her and after seeing the status of the rehab center, I asked my husband if we could take the woman into our home since she had NOT ONE SOUL who even cared about her any longer.
We built a room in our house and she moved in a month later.
I did not realize it would be a difficult task. I had to administer medication every day, clean, dress, change her bedding, and above all feed her three times a day.
However, I knew looking at her face every day that she had a smile and was always kept busy either reading, watching television, or playing with my sheltie dogs Candi and Lil Bit.
Candi and this lady, who we called Raisy Daisy, bonded so beautifully. She would talk to the dog in German and the two spent almost every minute together watching television or playing.
I would put classical music on the radio since that was her preference and she would look out of the window every morning talking to Candi.
Tragedy struck and I had to go away to a funeral for two weeks.
Raisy Daisy had to go to a rehab center till I returned.
I came back only to see she was not being taken care of properly
and I tried to bring her home. But the nursing home said she could not return because(this is unbelievable, but true) there were dogs in the house.
Raisy Daisy was heartbroken and seeing she could not come back to our home to live, she stopped eating and drinking fluids.
I said if we brought oxygen into the house, could she come HOME?
The reply was, "no problem". I made all the necessary provisions to bring her home but it was too late. Having waited so long she was too dehydrated and malnourished. She was taken to the hospital where they discovered she had broken her leg for the second time while in the nursing home and it was black and blue.
I was appalled, but could not get anyone to do anything about it.
So poor Ms. Raisy Daisy never got to see her friend Candi again and died 3 days later in the hospital with Hospice care.
As for Candi, she sat by the front door waiting for Raisy to come home for one month until she realized her friend was gone.
To this day, almost 6 years later, whenever I mention the name "Raisy Daisy" Candi's ears go up, the tail starts wagging, but she knows she is gone because sadly I have to say Raisy had to go home to her Mommy and Daddy. Candi turns around and goes back to her bed and lies down. At least she can still think of her friend and thus Raisy will not be forgotten. I was happy to be her caregiver.