This is an overview of the services that Home Instead has been providing for its most high-need clients since 2001. It has been written for illustrative purposes:
Millie was determined to live life on her own terms just as she had for her entire 89-year existence.
A retired Professor specializing in Education, Millie had lived in Bryan/College Station for over 45 years. She had always been blessed with good health except for one affliction she often referred to as “being as clumsy as a two-day old fawn”. She was able to laugh at it for years but when that clumsiness resulted in a fall that produced a broken leg, cracked ribs, and two chipped teeth she knew something had to be done.
She called Home Instead as soon as she discharged from the hospital.
Upon her return home, Millie found herself unable to cook. She couldn’t do her laundry. She couldn’t even have a bath and that was one of her favorite pleasures. Millie knew that for the long haul she would probably recover but, in the meantime, she was as helpless as a two-day old fawn!
The call to Home Instead resulted in a visit from the Director of Client Care, a former Home Instead CAREGiver who came out and visited Millie immediately. They hit it off very quickly when it became apparent that they both had a longstanding interest in bird watching. Getting the ice broken was a start, but what Millie really needed was a thorough understanding of how her life had changed and what it would take to get her back on the road to recovery and independence.
Home Instead delivered quickly.
Creating a Plan of Care that called for personal care and bathing, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, assistance with return trips to her doctor and physical therapy was a start. As her needs came into clearer focus, her CAREGivers discovered that there were telltale signs of memory loss, confusion, and other serious signs that Millie’s independence was compromised. As her CAREGivers worked to encourage her return to some semblance of normalcy, she made steps in the right direction some days and digressed other days. What never wavered, however, was Millie’s desire to be in the comfortable surroundings of her home!
It’s a commonly held belief that we recover from injuries more rapidly at a younger age than we do as we get older. What initially looked like a quick recovery turned into a slower ordeal – but with the help of her Home Instead CAREGivers, it was a joy to have assistance when she needed it most. Over time, her needs grew to be less and less demanding, but she never relinquished her CAREGivers altogether, she just cut back on her schedule.
Millie is doing well now – thanks in large part to her dedicated CAREGivers from Home Instead in Bryan/College Station!
