House of Care opens doors to those in need

The House of Care, known as “a personal care home with a heart,” provides physical, emotional and spiritual care to Centre County residents with limited life expectancies who find themselves without sufficient finances or family support for other community options. It is a Centre County United Way partner agency.

*Adam’s story:

Adam came to House of Care with no family, no real roots and a string of mental health and physical diagnoses as long as his 6-foot frame. He had limited social skills and a brilliant smile. Adam stretched our staff in so many ways. He shared few words but used them with care and meaning. Adam was an artist, a creator. He shaped with his hands from simple molding clay things and objects his mind and voice could not always communicate.

His creations spoke clearly of his deeper abilities.

Unique as Adam was, his story was not so different from that of many of the House of Care family. First, there were signs of changing behavior — slower to move in the morning, changes in appetite, loss of continence and fewer smiles. Though the pain must have been significant Adam rarely complained. One doctor visit followed another, one test confirmed another, and finally after the disease consumed his body, his bladder cancer was diagnosed. We went with him to the doctor’s visits; our hearts fell with each confirmation. One emergency room visit, then another, and with the last one he was not able to pass through our door again. We sat by his bedside in the hospital, inquired as to whether he could come home and spend his last days with his family, and in the end said prayers together and held his hand as he let go of his time on this earth.

Adam had no family outside the walls of The House of Care. His family became those who had passed through our doors. Staff, volunteers, home health nurses, emergency response personnel and anyone else who had provided personal care to Adam, became his family. We went to the funeral home to identify his body and collect his ashes. We notified the appropriate legal entities to stop his government checks and close his accounts. We wrote his obituary, and on a quiet evening, we gathered in our living room and held a memorial service of celebration to honor the unique memory of our friend. He came through our door, and we cared and changed together.

*The resident’s name in this story has been changed to respect his privacy.

This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 9:34 PM with the headline "House of Care opens doors to those in need."