Ted's Story
My sister, Jeanne, was diagnosed with a brain tumor that had wrapped around her right optical nerve and was scheduled for surgery with the doctor’s warning that the outcome was uncertain. She came out of surgery seemingly very well; she talked, walked and announced she would continue to live alone in her Santa Barbara, Calif., home.
Later, we discovered that in removing the tumor, a partial lobotomy had been performed which left her completely unaware that she needed to take medication to prevent seizures. Her lack of awareness resulted in seizures and a stroke, which left her in a partially paralyzed state – still without comprehending the need for regular medication. In short, she needed a skilled nursing home – and we were told we had 72 hours to find one.
We began our quest for information on the Internet, but only found “expanded yellow pages” lists of thousands of nursing homes with little useful information. Books, pamphlets and telephone calls usually resulted in the suggestion to visit home after home with hundreds of checklist items to investigate.
Nowhere was there a way to quickly find worthwhile information about nursing homes and other eldercare living facilities. Which type of facility was the right kind? Why wasn’t there a rating of homes/facilities? What were their costs? Which homes met the special needs of ours? Could we remodel our house to accommodate Jeanne’s needs? Why was there so much indecipherable “fine print” and “legalese” everywhere? We wasted so much time and energy! And wasted time during this period of high stress was inexcusable.
I vowed that I would create a “user-friendly” Web site so that no one at such a traumatic time would have to go through the frustration, exasperation, anger and guilt that we felt from the lack of useful information.
Total Living Solutions is dedicated to my sister, Jeanne. From this time on, the necessary information will be instantly available to anyone faced with having to decide where to place a loved one. We will provide living solutions for you. We will help you match the needs of your loved one with the best solutions.
Ted Tanase, Founder and CEO of Total Living Choices
On March 16, 2001, my sister quietly passed away after slipping into a coma.
Total Living Choices will live on to help patients find the best living solution