Independence in Old-Age Is Possible - We Work Hard to Preserve It

It’s rather amazing what a committed Care Manager can do. For the purposes of this story, we’ve changed the client’s name, but the results are all real.Mary is an 83-year-old widow, who has lived on her own for years. Mary has no children or family. She has had the same routine for decades, but one morning she was not feeling like her normal self. Within a few seconds, Mary realized that something was not right, but she had no time to react to what happened. She fell to the floor.Mary was on the floor for 24 hours before she was able to crawl over to a phone and dial 911 for help.Dehydrated and quite sick Mary was hospitalized. She eventually progressed enough in her recovery to make it to inpatient rehab and there she realized that she had been very, very lucky to make it off of that floor.She decided to take steps to prevent another crisis and ensure her well-being. Mary hired Bridgeway Care Management & Home Care.Mary’s Care Manager went to work right away. The Care Manager selected a company to fix-up many of the obstacles present in Mary’s home, things that Mary had been meaning to get to for a few months. The Care Manager also checked throughout the home for any safety hazards and made sure they were at a minimum.The Care Manager setup a Lifeline in case of another emergency situation. Rather than trying to crawl for a phone, Mary could simply press a pendant button on her necklace and the medical team would be alerted to her distress.The Care Manager refilled all of Mary’s prescriptions, ensured the refrigerator was cleaned and stocked with fresh food. The Care Manager also set up all of the transportation needed to get Mary to her appointments.Finally, Mary and the Care Manager decided that a little help around the home on some days would be helpful. Mary wanted to stay where she was and the Care Manager was committed to making that happen. The Care Manager found caregivers who matched Mary’s personality and oriented them to all of Mary’s preferences and the way she kept her home.Mary is now recovered.She is confident that she can enjoy her days without the looming possibility of another fall without help. There’s a group of people working for Mary who love seeing her happy and healthy. Mary is quite a remarkable woman.