How Senior Care with No Hourly Minimum Saved a Life
Posted by Matt Johnson on Wed, Feb 17, 2010 @ 08:15 AM
Marty Davis woke up in the hospital again, but this time he knew something had to change. He had mismanaged his health for decades. His life, really.
For his entire adult life, Marty had abused drugs and alcohol to escape the difficult hand life dealt him. Unsure whether to carry on or self destruct, Marty had bottomed out. His aged mother and tired brother had bailed him out of more jams than he could remember. They had been his Dallas senior care givers. This time, something was different.
Cancer, he'd beaten. Diabetes, he'd managed to elude. But, now his liver was going to quit and Marty couldn't outrun it.
Challenge
As far as "you're gonna die unless" proclamations go, Marty's seemed mild: he'd die unless he took one live-saving pill every day. If he skipped a day - one day - he'd end up in critical condition.
The problem was, Marty skipped the pill. Again and again. He was what the ER docs call a "frequent flyer." He'd skip a pill and a few hours later call 911 in a sort of remorseful recoil.
Marty's mother and brother wanted to help, but decades of burden made them unable to help in person. Marty needed help every day, but couldn't afford assisted living. He couldn't afford and didn't need four hours of home care, like most senior care companies required.
In person encouragement to take his pill was the only help he needed.
Marty needed someone to come by every day to make sure he took his pill, but couldn't afford a traditional set up. Marty was stuck.
Solution
HealthBridge VP Courtney Layton met with Marty and his family to explore options. After listening to how critical the daily pill was and learning about the limited need beyond the pill, Courtney had an idea of how to help.
"We met Marty's need really quickly," Courtney said. "HealthBridge doesn't have an hourly minimum for care. It's easy to provide daily care and stay under budget, without a minimum."
A HealthBridge Certified Nursing Assistant visits Marty every day and watches him take his pill. While they're at his house, they help Marty with other tasks too. They're usually there for about an hour, which is plenty of time to ensure Marty's health and safety.
Marty can get a year's worth of daily HealthBridge care for the price of a month's rent at a fancy assisted living.
Result
Since HealthBridge CNAs have been helping Marty, he hasn't missed a single pill. He hasn't been admitted to the hospital. His mother and brother have been able to enjoy spending time with him.
Marty gets the care he needs to stay alive, without breaking his budget, because HealthBridge has no hourly minimum.
To protect his identity, Marty asked that we use a pseudonym.