When Musa Bangura came into our lives my father had just been discharged from a rehabilitation facility and needed full time care for the first time in his life. He was 92 and resentful about his new frailty and the entire idea of a live-in caregiver. He cherished his freedom, living alone in the house my sister and I grew up in. I knew it had to be done, but I had not-great expectations about how they were going to get along, given how prickly my father was at the time. I've had excellent help from Capital City Nurses for both of my elderly in-laws, so I figured there was hope.
Musa cared for my father for more than a year. He treated my father the way I would imagine he'd treat his own father - with love and respect and tenderness and humor. They formed a bond that I still don't fully understand. Musa loved my father, and I know for a fact that my father loved him. Over a year of steady decline, the one constant in our lives - the reason my sister and I could get up and go to work everyday - was the knowledge that our father was in excellent hands.
My father needed hospice care for the last week of his life. It was clear that this was the end, and my sister and I were upset. Nobody is ready to lose their beloved father, not even children in their fifties. Again, Musa did everything he could not just for my dad but for us. He helped us understand what was happening. Most important for us, he made sure we had ample notice so we could be there with my father when he died. For the rest of my life I will be grateful for that. We were so upset, but Musa (who was also upset) tended to my father's body right up to the end and beyond, making sure that he was perfectly clean and cared for. As far as I can tell, Musa never stopped looking at my dad as a human being (not just a job) and acted accordingly.
Frankly, it's difficult for me to believe that it's possible to hire someone like Musa at any price. But apparently it's true. Now that my father is gone, I assume Musa will be looking for a new client after some much-needed time off. Please let this letter serve as an introduction and recommendation. I think Musa himself would tell you that I am not always the easiest person to understand or get along with. I don't think I've really grasped that my dad is no longer with us after 93 years; he was a fighter. But he had a good death, and a good life, all the way through, thanks to Musa. Anyone who hires him as a caregiver will be very lucky indeed. read more
