Finding comfort at CCC forever home

When DeLores “Dodie” Ellis moved into a Long-Term care room at the Comprehensive Care Center, she had to reassure her daughter that she wasn’t sad. 

“I enjoy it here,” she said, sitting in her room one afternoon. “It’s a wonderful place to go. The nurses are all nice.”  

Dodie spent much of her adult life in Glendale, raising her two children and working for Lawry’s Seasonings for 26 years. She later worked for Rexall Drugs for 16 years. 

She eventually moved to Lompoc to be closer to one of her children, Gloria Calhoun, and grandchildren. But when she turned 86 a few years ago, her daughter was concerned that she should no longer live alone.  

And when Dodie injured her hip last year, she went to the CCC for care. She’s now lived there permanently for about nine months. It was an easy transition from independent to care living, particularly because of Dodie’s easy-going attitude about life. 

She said she always tried to be understanding and not a burden for her children as they became adults and had their own families. She “stayed out of their business” and didn’t show up uninvited, so as not to be an inconvenience.  When it came time for her to stop driving her own car, she willingly handed over the keys instead of making a fuss, she said.  

“When my daughter told me she was afraid I’d fall, I said I would live here permanently,” she of the CCC. “I make it easy for them. There’s no sense in arguing.” 

Dodie’s daughter visits every day and keeps Dodie’s room decorated in holiday appropriate themes. Photos of the family line the wall, showcasing a happy group celebrating events together. 

“She makes it as homey as possible,” said Dodie, who has four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. “She decorates every month. At Christmas, I had a little tree for the counter.” 

Dodie finds that she’s not missing the independence of living on her own, as the staff of the CCC accommodate her if she wants to go somewhere in town. 

“Here, if you have to go to Wal-Mart, you ask and they take you,” she says. “They take me to the doctor or to get my hair done. I go to church service on Sunday. They make everything easy for you.” 

She’s also participated in the monthly field trip from the CCC to LVMC’s Ocean’s Seven Café for lunch getaways. 

“I really enjoyed that,” Dodie recalls. 

She’s also able to go every Sunday to dinner at her daughter’s house, which she appreciates. 

When she first arrived at the CCC, Dodie was recovering from her injury and needed physical therapy. 

“That was real nice,” she says of the treatment. “I always worked out. I was in good shape. I didn’t have trouble with it. It was wonderful.”  

Prior to become a resident at the care center, Dodie had friends at the CCC and would sometimes visit them. She was impressed by the care she saw and always told her daughter that if she ever needed to move into a residential facility, she wanted it to be the CCC rather than any other place in town. She even now tells friends who need a place to recover from surgeries or other illnesses to “Go to Third Street,” meaning the CCC. 

She says she appreciates the diversity of activities offered to residents, including bowling, ball toss and bingo.  

“We have movies on Friday with popcorn,” she notes. “You can sign up for anything, or wherever you want to go.” 

She also spends time in her room, watching television, or visits the garden and appreciates visits from a pet therapy group. She also has friends who stop by to chat. 

“I think it’s wonderful,” she said of her living arrangement. “I enjoy this. I love my room.”