Ricki and Barry Baker

Ricki and her husband Barry have been married for over 52 years. They have three children, eight grandchildren, active social lives and were both local business owners. They recently decided that they would age in place and had their home renovated to be wheelchair accessible so that the couple could live on one floor, should the day come when they would need this.

That day came a bit sooner than Ricki and Barry expected. In late 2018, Ricki had a severe fall hitting her head and breaking her foot and number one lumbar vertebra. After spending some time at The Ottawa Hospital, she came to Bruyère for recovery.

Ricki was a low-intensity rehabilitation patient at our Bruyère Health Saint-Vincent Hospital site. The goal of the care she received was to improve her functional abilities and help her return home to her husband, family and active social life.

With a combination of physical and occupational therapy for three months, Ricki returned home.

During those three months, Ricki built strong relationships with everyone at Bruyère. However, she developed a special connection with all the nurses on her unit, 3 South. As a thank you, she wanted to invite them over for a garden party. Unfortunately, Ricki didn’t have time to plan parties as, during her stay at Bruyère, Barry’s health took a turn for the worse, at first requiring care at an acute care facility and eventually transitioning to Bruyère in the very same unit as Ricki.

Comforted by familiar faces of patients and staff, it was Barry’s time to begin his journey with Bruyère.