 Providing Help in Time of Need
by Barbara Harris, LCSW, CMC
Mr. Smith is an 84-year old gentleman who was referred to Rona Bartelstone Care Management & Home Healthcare by his attorney, Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown was concerned because Mr. Smith seemed confused and there was no family except an elderly, sick brother out of state. Mr. Brown had also observed that Mr. Smith’s house, where he lived alone, had become unkept, cluttered, and unclean, and his yard had become overgrown. Mr. Brown requested a comprehensive assessment of Mr. Smith’s situation with recommendations from Barbara Harris, the Care Manager.
After a few meetings with Mr. Smith the Care Manager informed Mr. Brown that, in order for Mr. Smith to continue living alone in his house, he would need some assistance during the day. Mr. Smith’s doctor had diagnosed him with high blood pressure, depression, and memory loss, although initially his memory loss did not appear to be extensive. However, he was unsteady on his feet, did not appear to be taking his medication properly, did not appear to be bathing regularly, was not paying his bills on time, and was totally dependent on his neighbor to take him shopping, although this relationship was coming to an end. To Mr. Smith’s credit, he had stopped driving after he had a minor accident driving the wrong way on a one-way street and his license had been suspended.
Up until this point, Mr. Smith had adamantly refused to let anyone else help him. Barbara Harris, the Care Manager spent several sessions with Mr. Smith discussing the advantages of having someone come in to help out “a little” and be able to drive him around when needed. She gained his trust by aligning with his desire to remain in his own home and he finally agreed that the only way he could achieve his goal was to have some help. He agreed (begrudgingly) to have home health aide 4-hours a day, 3 times a week.
After the aide’s first day, Mr. Smith requested that she come back the following day and stay longer. From that time on, the aide went every day for 5-6 hours. Mr. Smith wanted to go out frequently for lunches, shopping and other errands. The aide made sure he had clean clothes, a clean house, and healthy meals. In a short time, Mr. Smith began to look and feel much better. The Care Manager arranged for a nurse from Rona Bartelstone Care Management & Home Healthcare to visit him twice each month and make sure his medication boxes are filled correctly. The Care Manager takes him to his doctor appointments regularly, so that she can help to monitor his healthcare needs. The aide takes his blood pressure daily and she reports any change to the Director of Nursing immediately. The Care Manager also assists Mr. Smith with bill paying and she arranged for many of his bills to be paid automatically. Ms. Harris has also overseen many of the necessary house repairs to assure the safety of his home environment, including upgrading and repairs to the air conditioning system, the plumbing and the flooring. His homeowners insurance had lapsed and the Care Manager saw that it was reinstated. She arranged for the yard to be maintained twice a month.
Unfortunately, in recent months, Mr. Smith’s physical condition has begun to deteriorate considerably, along with his mental condition. A home health aide is now with him 24-hours each day since he now requires total care. However his desire to remain in his home is intact and by having the proper care, he is able to do so. Mr. Smith is successfully maintaining his goal of remaining at home for the balance of his life, despite his initial reluctance to have help.
Sometimes a little bit of help really does give us the freedom to achieve our goals!
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