JC and Darlene Juett moved to Miralea Active Lifestyle Community in November 2018. When they moved, Darlene did not realize the solace community living and new friendships would provide her through the grieving process when JC passed a year after they moved in. Nor, did she truly understand the impact of living in a Life Care community would have when life threw her a curve ball a few years later.

It was just another activity-packed Monday in January 2023 for Darlene. Maintaining an active, healthy lifestyle was her stabilizer, and momentum kept her going. Even though she had an upset stomach, she was on her way to meet her friends to play tennis. Where she ended the week was far from the tennis courts, and had her fighting for the independent life she had built.

“When I got to tennis, my friends looked at me and said I needed to see a doctor, so the next day my daughter, Lauri, took me to see my physician who sent us immediately to the hospital,” Darlene said. “That’s the last thing I remember.”

Once they determined the cause of the stomach pain, Darlene began to have additional medical concerns. While she entered the hospital for an unknown reason, she left with seven different diagnoses.

“When she and dad moved to the community we went through the sales spiel but we didn’t really understand the true meaning of what living at Masonic meant,” said her daughter Lauri.

With her new conditions to consider, daughters Lauri and Sheri determined that Darlene would need additional clinical support during recovery and would not be able to return to her Miralea apartment. That’s when the real benefit of living in a Life Care community became apparent to Lauri and Sheri.

As a Miralea resident, their mother had priority access at a discounted rate to other levels of care on Masonic Homes Kentucky’s campus including skilled care and rehab at Sam Swope Care Center.

“Megan, the social workers and rehabilitation team, including Assistant Rehabilitation Manager Kristen Luttrell, led us through the next step,” said Lauri. “We had no idea the best skilled care option was right on campus. Then, we found out about the expertise of Kristen and knew this was where mom needed to be.”

Darlene moved to the Care Center where her care plan included nursing support and therapy to rebuild her mobility. She faced another setback and was readmitted to the hospital.

“Darlene was on a mental roller coaster with high and lows due to medical complexities,” said Kristen. “When she returned to rehab a month later, her daughters had moved her completely to the Care Center, which included selling her Miralea apartment. However, from the get-go Darlene’s goal was always to try to get back to independent living,” said Kristen.

And that’s exactly what the team worked hard to achieve. Darlene had rehab five days a week, and when they hit an obstacle, they tackled it as a team and found alternative solutions to help regain her strength.

“Some of the activities were causing my blood pressure to drop so Kristen thought water aerobics might be a good option,” said Darlene. “She and another therapist would take me to the pool at Miralea and one would get in and assist me, while the other monitored my blood pressure.”

Darlene was a fighter and her positive perspective became a great support for many of her Miralea neighbors who were also receiving rehab care.

“Living in a Life Care community was key to her recovery,” said Kristen. “She has so many friends in the community, and she became a cheerleader and confidante for other residents also receiving therapy. We slowly started re-engaging her back in activities at Miralea and everyone was super supportive and helped keep an extra eye on her.”

Eight months later, Darlene was approved to move back to her apartment at Miralea. She had to make some adjustments like moving from a two-bedroom apartment on the second floor to the first. On-campus transportation made it easy for her to go to follow-up appointments in rehab, or just to visit the team who made her come-back possible.

“I cannot say enough about rehab; the whole staff is top-notch,” said Darlene. “They say I’m a walking miracle. I don’t know about that but I do know my husband and I made a great decision moving to Miralea. It was a choice we made together so our daughters didn’t have to make it for us later.”

For Darlene’s daughters, knowing this type of service is available at their mom’s community offers peace of mind. Lauri added, “Some residents won’t ever need this level of care, but if they do, it’s here for them.”

Watch our Levels of Care video to learn more about out comprehensive family of services.

December 11, 2024