Carol is 81 years old and lives alone at her home. A strong-willed woman, she battles Parkinson’s disease and bipolar disorder every day. Her three children all live out of town, and she is her own POA.
To find the appropriate care for Carol, ElderCare 4 Families began by assessing her and her home safety. After a thorough home safety evaluation, we were able to identify and correct issues such as unchecked smoke detectors, potentially dangerous throw rugs, and an extremely hot setting on the water heater. We also discovered that, in addition to failing to renew her prescriptions, Carol was regularly missing her physician and psychiatric appointments. Nannette, Carol’s Senior Care advocate, took the initiative of connecting Carol with Tracy, one of ElderCare 4 Families’ certified nurse assistants. Tracy helped Carol 8 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Carol’s plan of care included medication and appointment compliance, as well as ensuring that she was driven to her physician appointments. To further ensure that her medical needs were met, we implemented a calendar system for prescription refills and physician appointments. Tracy documents each medication daily as it was taken and reports every instance of medication refusals.
Mobility had long been a challenge for Carol, which is why we encouraged her to seek physical therapy, and assisted her with exercises on other days. Carol was assisted in transfers, mobility, and bathing to prevent falls.
During manic periods brought on by bipolar disorder, we closely monitored Carol’s financial purchases to prevent huge spending sprees. A prepaid credit card was placed in the home to allow Tracy to purchase groceries, prescriptions, and other necessities. Tracy and Nannette made it a high priority to interact with Carol during her depressive periods. Tracy and Nannette kept her engaged with life by maintaining personal hygiene schedules and scheduling regular outings to the Opera. Nannette consistently updated with Carol’s family and physician with news about Carol.
If you know of a person who is living at home and affected by Parkinson’s disease or other mental health issues, reach out to one of their family members, or their Power of Attorney, and have them contact ElderCare 4 Families. One of our Senior Advocates will conduct a complimentary, no obligation in-home elder care assessment to improve the quality of that person’s life. We can then go from there to make sure your loved one is receiving the proper level of senior care.
Contact Elder Care
ElderCare 4 Families is happy to help provide elder care to seniors you know wherever they call home. Complimentary assessments are offered with no obligation by Elder Care, Personalized care is offered from 1 hour up to 24//7. With over 39 years of elderly care experience in the Louisville and Southern Indiana area, trust Elder Care to care for the seniors in your life. Call us at 502-244-8446 to start receiving local elder care services in Louisville and beyond.
