Moving On Up
By Sandy Goldberg, RN, Care Manager

It was five years ago when Manny lost his wife of 60 years. His love for her is so great that he still talks about her as if she were alive.  Because of his many losses, Manny was feeling very lonely.

As a result of his loneliness, his two caring sons hired Rona Bartelstone Care Management & Home Healthcare to help them meet his needs, including emotional support and accompanying him to doctor appointments.  Sandy Goldberg his Care Manager has been working with him for the last 6 months and she provides a lot of reassurance to Manny’s sons who were feeling guilty about living so far away.

As time passed and Manny’s loneliness continued, Sandy began to feel that he might thrive in a more social environment.  Manny’s initial reluctance to a move began to soften when he started needing more help with personal care, but didn’t want to have an aide in his home.  Sandy helped him visit a few select assisted living facilities, so that he could see for himself what a positive alternative this might be for him

Well, Manny loved one of the facilities that Sandy chose for him. He even found a childhood friend who he hadn’t seen in years. She was very attractive and also alone .She told him how wonderful it was to be with contemporaries and (jokingly) to be able to complain about every day problems. Manny decided to take the plunge to ease the burden for himself and his sons.

Next came the problem of how to facilitate the move.  Sandy called a mover who specializes in moving people into Assisted Living Facilities. To prepare, Sandy helped him to sort through his things and pass along a lot of precious belongings from his marriage and his lifetime, to their sons and grandchildren. Sandy even helped him shop for new bedding, linens, small appliances and “chochkes” to decorate the new apartment.

On the day of the move, Sandy accompanied Manny and the movers to assure that all went well.  She stayed with Manny to help him emotionally with the transition and to orient him to the facility, so that he would be more comfortable. When everything was organized in his new home he had the best decorated bachelor apartment in the place!

Manny’s friend immediately began to introduce him to her friends. He got into a card game and played bingo. He always loved to dance, so now does line dancing even though he uses a walker!  He is truly thriving in his new environment.

After the move, Manny’s sons came to visit. They were so happy and appreciated everything Sandy was able to do with their father. They now come to visit more often and share quality time with Manny, instead of worrying about him. Manny is proud of his sons and loves to show them off. Despite his initial reluctance, Manny now says that this move was the second best decision of his life, after the decision to marry his beautiful wife.

Manny now has a SMILE FROM EAR TO EAR, which proves that it is never too late to move up to the next level of life!  Thank you Manny for being such a good role model for coping with change.