Seventy-year-old Roger Arksey (left) has returned home to his daughter's Dallas home after spending five months in long-term care (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Kamloops family grateful to have father return home from long-term care in time for Christmas

Dec 23, 2020 | 5:51 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s an early Christmas gift for Stacie Schanzenbach and her sister Theresa Arksey.

Their dad Roger Arksey is back living at Schanzenbach’s house after spending five months in long-term care.

“We’ve settled into a nice routine and he’s happy, smiling, eating well. Kind of like it was before he left,” said Schanzenbach.

Roger lived with his daughter Stacie for two years before sending him to Gemstone in the summer. During his time there, the girls could only have 20-minute visits once a week — and only one of them could see him if it was inside.

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When he was declared palliative at the end of October, Stacie applied to be an essential visitor, which would’ve allowed her to visit in his room without a barrier and on a more regular basis. However, the application was denied. She was told he had to be actively dying. It all ignited with idea of bringing him home.

“From what I had read, part of the guidelines was that palliative care could have essential visitors, and then when I stopped and thought about it, I thought to put on all the gear and go in, he likely wouldn’t recognize us, as anyone different than the caregivers there,” said Schanzenbach. “So we just thought, he needs to see smiles, he needs to know people care about him and can hug him.”

It was a joint decision between Stacie and Theresa, who feels incredibly blessed to be able to see her dad without restrictions.

“It’s been amazing — being able to hug him and just see him smile and have the last bit of time together without masks, without a window, so it’s just been really nice face-to-face, holding hands,” noted Theresa.

Roger has him own room on the top floor on Schanzenbach’s Dallas home. There is a lift, provided by Interior Health, to help him into bed. Schanzenbach is a nurse and his primary caretaker.

The whole family feels it’s an early Christmas gift they’ll cherish in what could be Roger’s last.

“It really is a really great Christmas present. It sounds kind of cliche or corny, but it is,” said Theresa. “I couldn’t have asked for anything else this Christmas that would’ve filled my heart as much.”

Schanzenbach added, “It’s just the best. We’ve always had Christmas with our dad. We just wanted one more.”