Mr Doherty struggles for a time as he and his wife had been each others lives for 60 years. With no family support, Mr Doherty attends grief counselling and joins a support group. Due to his inability to perform many of his ADL’s and IADL’s independently and his need for emotional and social support, he is eligible to move to a residential aged care home. After some discussion with Mr Doherty, he decides this is a good idea.
The neighbour’s children have become very fond of the dog, and agree to accept him into their home. A loving family is also found for the cat.
After a period of adjustment, Mr Doherty becomes actively involved in the social community. He enjoys music and singing, loves to go on excursions and has discovered a passion for painting even though he can’t see too well what he’s doing! He misses Katherine and their pets terribly, but gets great joy from the therapy dogs that visit the facility every morning. A volunteer reads to him every afternoon and he has regular visits from his friends.
