What a week! We participated in two health fairs, sponsored and awarded medals at the Polk Senior Games Fishing Tournament, presented a talk on Slow Medicine at the Winter Haven Senior Adult Center, had a client pass away under the wonderful support of hospice, laughed and cried alongside his family, took a client for a breast biopsy, had a client’s daughter visit from up north, helped her understand her father’s changes and increased need for care, implemented a new care system for him, gained four new clients, completed a court-ordered assessment and report for a couple (both with dementia), and helped a client set up alternative transportation systems as she stops driving. All this amid our normal work of physician visits, medication re-orders, paying bills, and navigating insurances!
We do, however, genuinely enjoy being involved in these people’s lives. It is beautiful to see whole families get time together in the last moments of a parent’s life. And though it’s hard, it is important to have an adult child see firsthand and understand the changes a parent is going through with dementia.
As care managers, we help families by alleviating some of the stress, doubt, and complications that come with navigating the aging process. We know the local resources and help families make more educated decisions and solve problems more effectively and efficiently. We are a patient’s advocate at physician visits and during hospitalizations and rehab stays. We have the skills to help your loved one accept the assistance they do not think they need.
“I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.” – Leo Rosten
All About Aging column is sponsored by All About Aging, LLC.
CREDITS
column by BARBARA HERRINGTON
BIO: Barbara Herrington, M.A., C.M.C., is a certified geriatric care manager and owner of All About Aging, LLC. She holds a Masters degree in Gerontology from USF. For more information, visit www.allaboutagingllc.com or call (863) 557-7604.
