Nina Varela emigrated to the U.S. from Cuba with her husband in the 1950’s. In 1968, she moved to Miami Beach as a single mother raising two daughters, Doreen and Martha. Nina was a devoted mother who supported her family by cleaning buildings, which she later went on to manage. After going to night school, she got a job assisting the elderly in subsidized housing, a job she continued to do until she retired.
Shortly after retirement, Nina began to have health issues. Martha and Doreen cared for her after two hip replacement surgeries. The focus of their lives became hospital and rehab care, physical therapy and doctor appointments. Although the family hoped Nina would rebound, her health deteriorated rapidly. During a three-month period, Nina suffered three major strokes and underwent two emergency cardiovascular surgeries, requiring lengthy stays in rehab.“Mom was discharged from rehab when she reached the Medicare 91-day yearly limit. When she first arrived home, she was able to transfer from her bed to a wheelchair. But, with continuous TIA’s and lack of rehab, she regressed and quickly became bedridden,” explained Martha. “We were determined to care for her at home, but she was in such a weakened state we didn’t know how we were going to manage. We really needed help.”
Martha decided to call Hospice of Palm Beach County to get advice. “What did I have to lose? I figured I’d make the call, explain the situation and ask if Hospice could do anything to help or guide me. I didn’t know if Mom met the criteria for hospice care, but I knew Hospice would have more answers than we did,” Martha added.
When the hospice doctor and admissions nurse came to the house to assess Nina’s condition, Martha was grateful for the respect they showed her mother. The physician spoke to Nina directly, in her native Spanish. He took the time to develop a personal connection with her.
After the assessment, the physician and nurse sat down with the family to educate them on Nina’s condition. Together, they developed goals for her care based on what they wanted, which was to have time together and enjoy life.
Just one hour after the visit, they had everything they needed to take care of Nina. All of the equipment, supplies and medications related to hospice care were delivered, including a lift that made it possible for Martha and Doreen to easily get Nina out of bed and into a wheelchair.
“It is hard to express the sense of relief that Hospice provided,” Martha continued. “What had been overwhelming was now manageable. With the burden lifted, we had the support to take care of Mom the way we wanted to. If we had a question or concern, we could call 24 hours a day. Knowing that we were always able to reach someone was very comforting. We knew that we didn’t have to handle everything all by ourselves; we weren’t alone.”
Hospice of Palm Beach County gave Martha and her family a quality of life they didn’t expect when she first picked up the phone to make the call. “We were given the gift of time with Mom that we didn’t think we could have. Hospice gave us the chance to celebrate life with her - Mother’s Day, family parties and birthdays,”explained Martha.
“Since I was a little girl, my mother jokingly asked me ‘Mamita, why did you come into this world?’My answer was‘To take care of you, Mom’. Martha concluded,“With the loving care of Hospice of Palm Beach County, we were able to care for her the way we hoped to and treat her like a queen. She had taken such wonderful care of us. She deserved it.”
