Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. CT Community Care News

Meet Norma

In 1983, Norma came to America from Jamaica because she wanted a better life. She raised eight children and had many diverse jobs. She has been a seamstress, a security guard, and a certified nurse assistant, to name a few.

Then one day, Norma and her daughter, Verna, were in the car together. Verna remembers her mother saying, “Where are we? Nothing looks the same to me.” Verna reflects, “It was a shocking moment. We were in our own neighborhood.” Verna had worked at a nursing home with a locked dementia unit so she recognized the signs and had that sinking feeling. Her mom was soon diagnosed with dementia and over the course of the next 10 years became increasingly forgetful.

Then, last September, Norma suffered a mild stroke. After her stroke, she went from the hospital to various rehabilitation centers and encountered negative experiences, including neglect. While in the rehabilitation centers, Norma was taken back to the hospital on two different occasions and had two lengthy stays in the intensive care unit.

Then, Verna learned about the Connecticut Home Care Program (CHCP) and realized it may be possible for her mother to receive care at home. Even better, Verna discovered that she could provide the care through the Adult Family Living service under CHCP and could receive a daily stipend.

Norma was finally able to go back home with Verna as her primary caregiver. Once a week, a nurse will come to the house to check in and perform a standard health check. Norma’s care needs are great, as she is on a feeding tube, has a Hoyer lift, she uses a customized wheelchair and is what her daughter refers to as “total care.” At press time, Norma’s CCC Care Manager Dan Woike was in the process of getting a ramp constructed to help make access in and out of her home easier. “Verna, in my mind, is a hero,” says Dan.

“It’s a miracle to see her back where she was. We enjoy playing games together like The Price is Right. I read books to her and we listen to music. She’s able to say more words and is talking more, especially to her grandkids. It’s frightening to think about where mom would be without the help we have received.” - Verna, Norma's Daughter

If you are inspired by Norma's story, donate to our organization here.


Share post with your friends!


Contact Us

Contact us for more information at 866.845.2224

  • “Our care manager was extremely competent, compassionate, prompt and concerned about all aspects of our case. She followed up on every detail and checked up on us to make sure things were going well. ...”

    Read More

  • “I have found so many times that CCC is the perfect resource for me when issues involving the elderly or persons with disabilities have come up. This is not an area in which I have had any education ...”

    Read More

  • “Dad and I appreciate the services and support you have provided to us. Quite frankly, I don’t know what we would have done without your program. It hasn’t been easy for either of us as we go about ...”

    Read More

  • “Our care manager was extremely competent, compassionate, prompt and concerned about all aspects of our case. She followed-up on every detail and checked up on us to make sure things were going well ...”

    Read More

  • “I am compelled to put in writing how much I appreciate the help you and your organization have provided for my mother. When she left the convalescent home a few months ago she couldn’t see herself ...”

    Read More

  • “My mother was a client of CCC for over 10 years. Her health had declined but I finished my walk out basement to make it accessible for her to live in my home. Mom was in and out of various nursing ...”

    Read More

  • “My friend Maura has gone on and on about what wonderful and thoughtful care you gave to her mother. She really was touched by everything that you did to make her mother comfortable ...”

    Read More