Posted by Courtney Layton on Fri, Aug 21, 2009 @ 11:44 AM
Betty's care needs changed drastically in a matter of days. When
HealthBridge VP Courtney Layton met Eighty-three year old Betty, she had just been
discharged from the hospital after surgery resulting from a fall at home.
Betty's entire family support system was one person: Janet. Janet was working 40+ hours a week to make ends meet and found herself solely responsible for her mother's care. Betty did not have long-term care insurance, so she was working with a fixed income to meet her current financial obligations. Betty and Janet needed help.
How would Janet ensure Betty was safe at home, especially since she had just fallen? While working full time, how would Janet get her mom to and from doctor's appointments? Would Betty and Janet be able to afford the care Betty needed?
Challenge
As Courtney began to work with Betty and Janet, she quickly realized there were three problems to solve:
- 1. The short-term challenge of post-hospital care
- 2. The mid-term challenge of follow up doctors' appointments
- 3. The ongoing challenge of elder care on a tight budget
Solution
After Courtney's initial meeting with Janet and Betty, HealthBridge caregivers immediately began providing support 24 hours a day. This insured Betty's safety during the critical time period after her hospital discharge.
As Betty's follow up doctor appointments began, HealthBridge provided caregivers to drive her to the doctor. Janet would then meet her mom at the doctor's office to be there for the important conversations. This reduced Janet's time away from her job to only one hour per doctor appointment.
Betty's physical condition quickly improved, so HealthBridge trimmed the care plan to provide daily support without a huge expense. This gave Betty the ability to move into a senior apartment community, so she could combine additional support (meals, security, community) with HealthBridge's caregivers who aided with bathing, grooming, dressing and medication reminders. This plan gave Janet the peace of mind that her mother was well taken care of each day, without the expense of around-the-clock care.
Result
Janet is able to remain the leader of Betty's daily care team, without neglecting her work and other personal obligations. With HealthBridge, Janet has a go-to resource whenever her mom needs extra help. Still today, each time Betty is scheduled for a doctor visit, a HealthBridge caregiver spends a few hours with her bathing, grooming, dressing and transporting her to and from the doctor's office. This care plan also preserves Betty's finances and limits Janet's financial contribution to her mother's care.
By addressing Betty and Janet's short, mid and long term challenges in an organized way, HealthBridge was able to solve each problem successfully. Janet called on HealthBridge to help in a crisis and ended up establishing a long-term support system to ensure her mom maintains an independent, healthy and fulfilling lifestyle.
To protect their privacy, "Betty" and "Janet" asked that we use pseudonyms.