A Personal Story about our Nurse Next Door Clarington Franchise Partner, Dwayne!
On January 3, 2014 I was working as a Police Constable in the Primary Response Unit with the Toronto Police Service, when I received a radio call to check on an elderly female who was 99 years old and was living on her own. At this point in time, the City of Toronto experienced one of the worse ice storms in its history leading many homes to be without heat and hydro for days. I then met Elsie, whose shear strength and determination were beyond admiration. With the help of some great friends, we were able to re-locate Elsie into a hotel for the next few days while the hydro to the area was restored and a new furnace was installed. Since this time, I have been popping by from time to time to have tea with Elsie to make sure she’s doing alright while always catching a story from her incredible journey through life, and certainly feel that she has become a great friend.
Elsie is 102 years young and recently had to move into a nursing home in April of 2016. Prior to her going into the nursing home, over the past 3 years, my friend Steve and I have had the pleasure of taking Elsie to things that she loves to do…..Ripley’s Aquarium, Toronto Blue Jays Game, and Pinty’s Curling Event. Both Steve and I foreshadow that this winter will be a long and tough winter for Elsie , so we thought it would be a great idea to get her out for another venture and take her to Woodbine Racetrack to see some horses, as we both know Elsie loves horses and grew up in her early years on a farm in Manitoba.
As Elsie’s mobility and health has been deteriorating, both Steve and I agreed that it would be a great idea to bring along someone who could help us with Elsie and her needs, and to give us peace of mind during the experience itself. With 3 days before the trip, I decided to reach out to an old friend, Melissa, who works for Nurse Next Door Markham. I explained my situation to her and within minutes, I was given a number to call and reassurance from her that Nurse Next Door would help me out. That same night, I called the number and spoke with a member of the Nurse Next Door’s Care Services Center, who provided me with excellent customer service and truly put my mind at ease. The following day, as promised I was contacted by Nurse Next Door Scarborough West, and spoke with Julie, who within minutes had created a care plan for Elsie and had a caregiver arranged to attend Woodbine with us.
Not only did Elsie get a backstage tour of Woodbine and met some incredible horses, but we were able to get her to the grandstand area to catch a few races up close. And after winning Race # 6, Eurico Rosa da Silva, met Elsie. After taking a photo with her, he ripped off his racing goggles and placed them around Elsie’s neck for a keepsake. To this day, she has it on display on her nightstand inside her room.
This experience brought Elsie so much joy and happiness that she couldn’t keep her glowing smile off her face throughout the day. And for me, it motivated me to such a level and degree that not long after this experience, I began looking into the Nurse Next Door franchise opportunity. Not long after this, I purchased the Nurse Next Door Clarington Region that launched in February of 2017.
