Notice of Non‑Discrimination and Notification of Rights Under Title VI
Louise Provided with a Home & Care
Posted October 11, 2016
These days it seems like a rarity to meet someone who takes a genuine interest in caregiving for a grandparent. It sounds absurd that someone fly their 100 year old grandma across the Country so that they could become a primary caregiver. But that’s exactly what Rob Lucas did. He wanted to give his grandmother, Louise Lucas, the best final years of her life. So he moved her from her home in New York, put her on a plane for the first time in her life, and flew her to Maui to live with him.
Rob was in New York visiting another grandparent who was ill when he learned that care for his Grandma Louise was getting increasingly more difficult. Finding the right place for her to live and receive the care she needed near her family and home seemed almost impossible. Rob thought that after being in this world for 100 years, his grandma would not have much more time. Being self-employed gave Rob the flexibility and time to care for Louise. So he decided to pack up her belongings and bring her to Maui.
Rob said, “She was the mascot for my company. I put her in the passenger seat of my jeep and we would cruise around the west side with surf and paddle board rentals, I thought I’d have a few months with her, maybe a year tops, but she seemed to adjust really well and those months turned into years.”
When Louise began needing more help at 104, Rob looked for alternate care. His business had grown and become more demanding and his need to travel had become more frequent. He reached out to Hale Makua Health Services. “The process was so painless, I filled out paperwork, talked on the phone and met with the ladies in Admissions, and within a week Grams was moving in.”
For Rob, finding a different home for his grandmother was a tough decision since he wanted her to live with him. It was his priority to make sure that she lived in an environment that felt like home, where the people treated her like family. Rob shares, “I can’t say enough about how wonderful Hale Makua has been for Gram and our family. The staff do so much every day to make her life better, and I am so grateful for how amazing they are and how amazing the entire facility is as a whole”.
Louise recently celebrated her 106th birthday. She still walks, has a spitfire spirit and enjoys each day to the fullest, especially days that Rob takes her for their weekly lunch and shopping date.