Mary’s Story

Mary was born in 1948 in a small rural town in northern Ontario. After finishing grade eight, she went to work at the local general store to help her family out financially. Jack came into the store once a month when he got paid. Mary and Jack struck up a friendship and later got married.

The early years of their marriage were tough. Mary sensed that Jack had many ‘ghosts’ from his past, which he never spoke of. The few times Mary and Jack went to visit his family, she never felt comfortable or had the feeling that she or Jack were accepted. When she asked Jack about this, he refused to talk about it. So Mary settled into their marriage and worked hard at making a home for her husband and children. They had two children, Phillip and Nancy.

Five years after they got married, Mary and Jack could finally afford to buy their own home. It was a lovely two-story home, with three bedrooms and one bathroom on the second floor. It had a nice big backyard with lots of gardens, which Mary loved to tend. This home was Mary’s pride and joy, and a source of many happy memories for her: this is where she raised her children, took care of her husband, and entertained her lady friends from church. Mary was happy in life as a stay-at-home mother and housewife.

Over the last few years, Mary has been having difficulties with maintaining their home both inside and out. Mary has been slowing down with her indoor and outdoor activities due to joint pain and stiffness. Both of her children have moved far away, and Jack has health issues which affect how much he is able to help Mary with the upkeep of their home.

In 2012, Mary went to see her family physician because the OTC medications she had been taking were no longer relieving her joint pain and stiffness. After a thorough physical examination and some diagnostic tests, Mary was diagnosed with Stage 4 osteoarthritis (OA) and osteoporosis (OP).

Mary’s OA was affecting her mobility and her ability to perform basic activities of daily living (ADLs). Jack assisted Mary as much as possible, but was having some difficulties with his own ADLs. Jack would assist Mary downstairs in the morning. Mary wore an incontinence product as she was unable to get up the stairs to the bathroom in time.

Due to the pain Mary was having from her OA and OP, her physician prescribed hydrocodone for the pain. By 2018, Mary was having increased difficulty with mobility and required a walker. She seldom left the house anymore as getting around proved to be challenging. She missed gardening, going to church, and visiting with her friends.

In the spring of 2018, she experienced a fall in the bathroom, resulting in a fractured right hip. Surgical intervention was required, and Mary had a total right hip arthroplasty. The plan upon discharge from the hospital was that Mary and Jack would move in with Nancy and Paul in the GTA. Mary’s hospital stay was extended due to Jack’s hospitalization.

The weeks that followed Mary’s discharge and subsequent move to her daughter’s home saw Mary become more withdrawn, often spending the day in her pajamas, unwashed and distant from those around her. Mary is struggling with the many changes happening in her and Jack’s life.