Else Jerusalem

When Else Jerusalem was just 55 years old, she had a stroke that changed her life forever.

 Because she could no longer care for herself or stay in her own home, she went to Evergreen House Residential Care Home in Vancouver. Soon after, her daughter moved with her family from Germany to Victoria due to work and to be closer to Else. Since 2003, Else has called Mount St. Mary home.

 While the transition from one residential care facility to another can be stressful, Else has settled in well and enjoys taking part in some of the many resident programs offered at Mount St. Mary.  “Art club is my favourite,” says Else. “Because I can express myself.”

 Else loves how close Mount St. Mary is to downtown Victoria with its parks and gardens. Using her electric wheelchair, she is able to get around inside the hospital, and can also go out into the city to enjoy sightseeing, shopping, lunch with a friend or just a change of scene. “I love it here,” says Else. “And my family loves to visit.”

If Mount St. Mary Hospital is Else’s home, her room is truly her sanctuary. It is furnished with her favourite belongings, with precious pictures, family photos and artwork decorating the walls. Sadly though, there are also scratches, scrapes and holes in all the walls because Else’s wheelchair is too big to turn around without bumping into them.

 “My wheelchair is just too big, and it’s very hard to turn around in such a small area,” says Else. “The worst area is between the door frames. All the rooms need to be fixed. That’s why the Room to Care project is a good idea – because it will fix the damage.”