My name is Joe Nespoli.
My wife Connie and I were clients of Visiting Angels during her struggles with Lewy Body Dementia. She passed two years ago, it was a tragic and difficult time for our family. For the last two years of her life Visiting Angels sent us several competent caregivers and one very special one, Kristen Hill. She spent almost two years with Connie and the love, kindness and compassion she demonstrated on a daily basis was a great blessing to our family. Knowing that I could totally trust my wife with Kristen enabled me to have a life outside of being a caregiver, and energize me to deal with an heart wrenching and life changing situation.
When my wife's disease reached a stage where we felt we could no longer deal with it at home, we placed here in an assisted living facility. It was a failed experiment that lasted 2 months, before we realized it was time to bring her home for good. Once again during this difficult time of transition Visiting Angels came to our aid. Connie was not getting the care she needed at the facility, and for the two weeks it took to arrange for her to come home, Kristen spent every day with her there giving her the individual care she needed. I was mostly there as well but it was so much less terrifying to have Kristen there with us. Also the pain of leaving was made easier knowing that when I left Connie was not alone but in the care of someone who loved her.
When Connie came home, Visiting Angels provided us with another angel in her own right, Zonia Adams, our live-in. This women took total control in handling such a scary and sad time. Her care of Connie was meticulous, in the bathing, the feeding, and sitting with her during her night time terrors, she never woke me for help one time, depriving herself of sleep to sit with my wife. She loved Connie it was plain to see, and she grew to love our entire family just as Kristen had. Kristen remained as a part time caregiver and together these two wonderful women allowed us to keep Connie at home until she passed. It would not have been possible without them; I will be forever grateful; with their help I can look back on a difficult time without guilt or regret: we will always consider them as family.
There were several phone conversations with other people in the office as well. They were voices without a face, but I have very warm sentiments towards them. They were so very accommodating dealing with the unexpected scheduling surprises that inevitably come with this type of situation, as well as some problems we might have had with other caregivers, which is also inevitable. It was so very comforting to hear genuine compassion in the voices of the people you were counting on to help you deal with an almost impossible situation.
In closing it is not feasible to describe the heartbreak of dealing with this disease, or the challenges of watching someone you love die, in this review. Suffice it to say Visiting Angels, allowed us to endure this journey with grace and love. I'm not certain how we would have managed without them. In our situation, I can state with all honesty, they really were a gift from God, they were His angels. read more