Maintaining Dignity through Independence

Living independently is important to seniors in keeping their dignity. However, for many seniors, day-to-day tasks become difficult as they grow older and develop health problems. Catholic Charities Hawai‘i's (CCH) Comprehensive Individualized Services program is committed to assisting seniors with day-to-day tasks to help sustain their independent lives.

Janet Nuuhiwa is a young 70-year old woman living by herself without any family members to help her. Janet is from Oregon, where most of her family lives, but Hawai‘i has been her home for the past 41 years.

Janet tries to keep busy and remain active in the community. She is a member of the American Allegiance and the Honolulu Community Action Program. When she is at home she spends her time doing needlepoint on plastic canvases and knitting yarn leis. Taking care of her daily needs, however, became more difficult for her. The arthritis in her spine and hips made it painful for her to clean her apartment and lift heavy objects.

When she discovered the pain in her back was more severe while cleaning her house, she decided she needed some help. She spoke with some of her neighbors in the senior housing building where she lives, and they told her about Catholic Charities Hawai‘i's Comprehensive Individualized Services (CIS) program. Janet called CIS and Jennifer Rodrigues, a CIS service aide, was referred to help her with cleaning. Jennifer cleans Janet's apartment twice a month, paying close attention to the floors, bathroom, closet, and cupboards.

Janet visited the mainland for two months this past spring to celebrate her 70th birthday with her family. Janet exclaimed, “I have not celebrated my birthday with my family in 50 years! I have not seen my family in quite a while either and it was nice to visit them.” However, when Janet returned home, her house had been invaded by some unwanted visitors. A family of rodents had taken over her home, and she was unable to clean the mess they had created. She immediately called Jennifer to help her clean up the mess and get rid of the rodents.

The rodents are gone now, and Janet is extremely thankful for the assistance Jennifer provides. “Jennifer is a big help and I enjoy her company. If she did not come to help me, I would probably have to do all the cleaning myself and I would be in a lot of pain,” said Janet.