Weatherford an answered prayer for aged evacuees

Chelsea L. McGowan

cmcgowan@weatherforddemocrat.com

When Hurricane Ike threatened the Gulf Coast, many south Texas citizens were looking for a place to run. For Joan Williams and the residents of Answered Prayer, shelter was provided in the city of Weatherford.

“I just can’t say enough how amazing that town was to us,” said Williams, who runs a private assisted living facility in Orange. “It was a great example of ‘ask and you shall receive.’”

Williams said when she realized evacuation in her city was imminent, she got her workers online to try and find a place for the residents of Answered Prayer.

Luckily for those residents, someone who works for Williams had once lived in Weatherford.

“One of my workers used to live [in Weatherford] and told me it was a really nice town,” Williams said. “Boy, was she right. Aside from all the help people gave us, it’s just lovely. Personally, I could pack up my bags and move there.”

Williams and her residents spent a week at the Comfort Inn & Suites, where she said they were treated lovingly and respectfully.

“They met our needs,” Williams said. “They were accommodating and wonderful. The first night we were there they ordered meals for every single one of my workers and patients.”

Throughout the rest of their stay, more miracles were in store for the residents of Answered Prayer.

From local doctors and dentists donating services, to churches who provided daily meals, Williams said she wanted for nothing while staying in Weatherford.

“I started getting overwhelmed when I realized how hard we were hit, and that we’d be gone for a while and I didn’t have enough supplies,” said Williams, who was sick with a virus during her time in Weatherford, and therefore restricted in what she could do for her residents. “The people there made sure we had everything we needed. I had no worries. They took everything off my shoulders.”

Williams said she was especially grateful to the American Hospice Association, whose social workers made a huge difference in the lives of her patients while they were so abruptly removed from home.

“Two of my patients were on hospice care, and American Hospice gave us the greatest help we ever could have asked for,” she said. “We didn’t feel like anyone was there begrudgingly. We were helped out of love.”

Amy Hunstable, of American Hospice, said her organization was glad to help, especially considering the variety of needs presented by the group from Answered Prayer.

“We knew she was going to need help, not just with her hospice residents, but with everything,” Hunstable said. “Joan actually had her daughter with her, and her daughter had a 9-day-old baby when they got here. Everyone did a really good job of pulling together to help these people. The whole community was just fantastic.”

A tragic death during a past hurricane is what lead Williams to seek group safety for her residents rather than splitting them up and sending them to different area nursing homes.

“I had to send two of my patients to nursing homes when we were evacuated for Hurricane Rita,” Williams said. “One of them was a feisty little 100-year-old lady. She ended up being transferred away from the nursing home where I sent her, and I didn’t even know where she was. When I finally got her back, she smelled like she hadn’t been washed in weeks. She had bruises and gashes. The poor thing ended up dying, and the official cause was gangrene. I felt so responsible. I just knew that if I’d done things differently, she might have survived.”

Thanks to the quick thinking and kind hearts of Weatherford residents, every single Answered Prayer worker and resident made it back to Orange safe and sound.

Williams said they are all grateful for the help they received while they were away from their home.

“When hurricanes hit, it’s the elderly that take the abuse,” Williams said. “I won’t entrust anyone with my residents unless I’m right there at their side. This time, we all got home safe and sound. I couldn’t have made it without Amy and all the people at American Hospice, and all the other wonderful people in Weatherford.”