Meet Gilda. She is an 75 year old lady living in a two story home. She had one daughter an attorney. Gilda, a retired nurse, suffers from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and Chronic Heart Failure. She recently suffered a stroke leaving her with significant weakness on the left side and slurred speech.
While hospitalized, her daughter, Alison, received an offer to work for a large law firm in Texas that takes her salary from low $50k to just over double that salary. Upon hearing the news of her mother’s hospitalization, she turned it down as any child would.
A few days later, Gilda was transitioned to a skilled nursing facility where she stayed for about one month for additional physical therapy and occupational therapy. Her speech had almost returned to normal except for the occasional word finding pauses. However, her ability to walk was still limited.
Upon returning home, they both realized that the care was in their hands now. It was a completely different world for what Gilda had just gone through. Alison tried to understand as much about Gilda’s conditions as possible, but she was becoming overwhelmed as was her mother.
During her hospitalization and stay at the nursing facility their only focus was on healing and she did not have to worry about anything else. Staff came and checked on her regularly, a lot of friends visited during the hospitalization, but only a few trickled in during the nursing home stay, and none since returning home. Needless to say, her socialization was minimal and almost non-existent.
Families find themselves in Gilda’s position many times. Most modes of care delivery are effective and achieve their objectives before transferring to other institutionally based care. Many times there is little say as to where you will be transferred due to well established relationships between institutions. Hospitals coordinate care only in that healthcare setting and may transfer to skilled nursing facilities. There are times where hospitals and skilled nursing facilities transfer patients home with home health agencies. However, they only coordinate caregivers and may make referrals within their realm of expertise.
Gilda has undergone physical therapy, occupational therapy has had some home care assistance, but it looks as though she has reached her optimal recovery. Because she is lost a lot of strength, she will need to make use of a can or walker. She still uses physical therapy once a week, but she will need to make a lot of changes, including her daughter. Gilda continued to insist that Alison call back the law firm and accept the offer. Her daughter refuses.
Like so many caregivers, Alison has made a great sacrifice– the loss of income and opportunity. People like Gilda, feel bad and like they have become a burden. They do not know what to do exactly, neither of them are in favor of relocating Gilda to an assisted living facility. Gilda wanted to stay in her own home.
So the ultimate question becomes, what about those who want to remain in their own homes for as long as possible? Where is their coordination? Some people have Primary caregivers; however, they can become overworked and may be more engaged with their needs versus their loved one’s needs. Home care and companion services can step in for those needing substantial care, but they are limited in what assistance they can provide.
What we need is a system that provides a centralized service, unique to your locality. Geriatric care Management services is that systems that puts all of the pieces together. A Geriatric Care Manager is a trained professional with expertise in healthcare, social work, governmental benefits, law, finance, aging in place construction, and a number of other professions. The common key is their knowledge of senior care and how they can best take their knowledge to effectively provide comprehensive services to seniors.
Senior Lifestyle Concierge is able to help people like Gilda coordinate her entire lifestyles in her own home. Under our Lifestyle 360 Plan, we’ll help her create an efficient layout of her home, including relocating her bedroom to the first floor and placing things within reach. We will provide weekly check-ins by friendly office staff to ensure she is well cared for, errands and chores are complete. If not we will send out a specialist based on her needs. A Geriatric Manager will visit her once per month to assess for any home safety hazards, assess her wellbeing, address her concerns, and ensure that she is satisfied with the caregivers that she hires independently or through an agency. Lastly as a member she has access to top notch nutritionists, elder law attorneys and financial professionals through our localized network. Because she is a member, she has access to many of these services at a reduced rate.
As you can see, we have built a coordinated system to manage and enhance her wellness, home safety, and social interaction. This is what Senior Lifestyle Concierge is making strides to accomplish and strengthen day by day. As we bring on new members into our village, we will develop new and exciting programs to enhance your life. To get started as a member, click here to get started today!
