On her first night at Hospitality House, Leah appeared detached from reality. She was unresponsive most of the time, and when she did speak, she had the tendency to slur her words, or was agitated and defensive. When dinner arrived, she sat down to eat and kept falling asleep in her food. The women were concerned about her health and mental stability, and staff kept a close eye because they did not know whether they would be able to accommodate her high needs.

A few nights into her stay, a staff member went into the kitchen to do a look-over after lights out and Leah was awake eating. The staff member struck up a casual conversation with Leah who opened up about her children in foster care. This was the first coherent conversation that someone was able to have with her and was enough to confirm that she continue her care here at Hospitality House.

The following day, staff followed up with Leah to determine if she became sedated by her prescribed medication and responded that it was unusual for her and that she was having a difficult time with the medication adjustment prescribed to her; she explained that one of her doses had been changed. Leah’s medication dosage was lowered, and as a result she became more cognizant and easier to communicate with. Her medication change allowed room for staff to accommodate her specific needs. Over time, Leah’s demeanor changed and she was able to relax, and her anxiety levels decreased. Her positive attitude began to carry over the remainder of her stay at Hospitality House. On one of her last days at the House, Leah told a staff member how she had felt supported by the staff and would miss the House after she left. During her last case management meeting, Leah expressed that she felt she had made significant personal progress. She said that her counselor noticed she was less anxious and Leah reported that the voices in her head were less frequent and more manageable.

Leah exited to another shelter program and is continuing to work towards stability. Shortly after exiting Hospitality House, Leah called staff and was asked how she was doing. Leah responded with “Oh you know, I’m doing okay, but this isn’t Hospitality House.”

With donors like you, we can help more clients like Leah, who need a place like Hospitality House that provides that extra bit of support, and an attentive environment to determine what their needs are and get them the help they need.

We wish you all the best, Leah!!

 

* At Hospitality House, we respect everyone who comes to us for help – and many are working toward a fresh start in life. So while their stories are true, client names and images may have been changed to protect their privacy. Thank you for understanding.