Request InformationEveryone still likes happy endings, right?
A very young 90-something woman, who had lived alone in her own home for many years, fell in her bathroom and was not found for a number of hours. (This does happen to older adults way too often and there is a way to make sure help arrives quickly.) She was taken into the hospital, stabilized, and sent off to rehab to regain strength in her legs so she could be back up on her feet with a walker. But it was clear to her children and medical team that she couldn’t go back home – at least, not right now.
So Helping Hearts was called in to help find an appropriate care home now that she had completed her rehab treatment. The Helping Hearts’ team took the adult children to various board and care homes within the geographic area they knew mom would like and that fit the budget (and the budget was enough to match both wants and needs) . And success! The family was able to find a great care home for their mom after asking lots of questions, getting a ‘feel’ for the board and care facility that they thought felt like mom and home, and that they were totally comfortable having mom cared for by the staff of the particular facility.
Now, as mom settles into her new home, she is able to be a participant in planning for her future care needs (yes, she is mentally able to be involved in her own decision making) and working together with her children to handle her affairs. The family has asked Helping Hearts’ case management team to work alongside them, providing input and insight on how to prepare and plan for a number of future options, directing them in the complex decision making that later life planning involves.
Helping Hearts Foundation is all about finding happy endings! We know we can help you and your family find a happy ending or at least get on the path to finding it. Please contact us by phone or email and let us know how we can help you. And, if your happy ending means having to find a new way to look at what makes for a happy ending, we are here for that as well. Life is not always rosy and wonderful, resources are limited, family is missing, friends are few, the struggles are hard, etc. We’re here to help, one person at a time.
Side note: As I noted above, no older adult living at home should have to worry about how long it would take for help to arrive in the event of a fall or other urgent need. There are some wonderful emergency response programs available through a wide range of providers. Many home alarm services have emergency response services for older adults as well as longstanding companies who provide nothing but emergency response services. The emergency response system usually involves the older adult having to wear an alert button either around their neck or on their arm. There is a base unit somewhere in the home and in the event of illness, a fall, fire, etc., the older person simply presses their button and help will be on the way. You can do a Google search for “emergency response systems” and find a lot of options to explore. Of course, the older person has to be willing to keep their alert button with them at all times!
