The fire started in the kitchen which is often the case in apartment living for seniors who for a variety of reasons find the kitchen to be less manageable as they age.

I know a woman whose home was damaged in an accidental fire. The fire started in the kitchen which is often the case in apartment living for seniors who for a variety of reasons find the kitchen to be less manageable as they age. Independent living including the regular tasks of housekeeping can create fire hazards as we age. In this case, cloth items were on top of the stove. While emergency personal were taking her out of the apartment for a medical need, the stove was inadvertently turned on resulting in the fire which started while no one was at home.

Several months in a care facility for recovery and rehab was a fortunate hiatus for my friend. But then, when the reality of moving back to the apartment building into a different unit came into focus, She became agitated and resisted the change. Why? What was happening and who wouldn’t want to go into a newly furnished home after a tragic fire?

I began to realize that my friend was dealing with change and the grief of loss. She really just wanted everything to be as it was before while in fact……. all of the familiarity of the past was gone.

For those in my family who were helping her, we backed off for a while and just listened as her complaints and fears were voiced. Then when a calmness had returned, like a stillness after a storm we again began to gently lead her forward into her new environment.

We know this is not the last move she will need to make as her family is far away in another state and soon, she will have to get closer to them for the closing years of her life. For now, my family will act as a stand.

For my family, this is part of the good work that has been prepared in advance for us to do during this season.

Marion Lorence
Glendale Place, Resident Manager
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