His doctors called it “failure to thrive,” a sterile term for a truly human crisis. For Grant, it was just his reality. After suffering with severe back pain for years, Grant finally had the surgery that had promised to give him back his independence.
Severely underweight, alone and adrift in the world, Grant’s doctor referred him to Maitri to recover post-surgery. This wasn’t Grant’s first choice. He was desperate to recover quickly so he could move back to his beloved apartment and do things his way again.
After a few weeks at Maitri though, our “Compassionate Care” started to work on Grant. That’s when the real diagnosis came into focus.
Suddenly being immersed into Maitri’s interdisciplinary care model meant that Grant was in a completely different world than he’d been used to. No longer was he alone in a quiet apartment, enjoying his solitude. At Maitri, staff and volunteers would bring him his meals and sit with him. His new neighbors didn’t just nod or ignore him in the halls, they invited him to events. They wanted to share meals with him! Not to mention all of the events and activities he was encouraged to attend. There was always something happening at Maitri, and he was invited to be a part of it!
For weeks, Grant slowly absorbed this new reality. And then, it clicked. Surrounded by all this care and companionship, he realized: he wasn’t lonely!
This epiphany was a turning point for Grant. While he still enjoyed his solitude, he knew he needed and wanted to be with his community. Maitri really was “his people.”
And as he met his health goals and was strong enough to return home, Grant knew he couldn’t go back to the way things were. As he discharged, he quickly joined Maitri’s BRANCH Aftercare Program so he could stay in touch with his community and be with the people that mean so much to him.
Today, you might run into Grant as he takes his weekly walks to Maitri from his Castro apartment or at some of the Maitri events he loves to come to. He’s particularly fond of the weekly “Pizza Process Group” on Fridays.
For Grant and all of our BRANCH clients, they know that even though they’re not residents anymore, they can come back home to Maitri whenever they need community, compassion, and even a little pizza.