Case Study
Mrs. M. is 79 and lives alone in her own home. Her adult daughter, Nora, who lives in San Francisco, is concerned about her mom, who is increasingly confused and forgetful. On Nora’s last visit to San Diego, she took her mother to the doctor, who suspected some form of dementia. He suggested a full work-up and recommended that Nora, who has a demanding career, work with Age @ Home geriatric care manager Kathy Randall to monitor Mrs. M. and her changing needs. After the assessment, which included a cognitive evaluation, Kathy set up a neurological evaluation and accompanied Mrs. M. to the appointment. The neurologist diagnosed Alzheimer’s and started medications to slow the progression of the disease. Kathy Randall recommended some caregiving services for cooking, light housekeeping and errands. She also asked Nora to make sure the advance health care directive, including a durable power of attorney, was up to date. Mrs. M. remains safely at home with some support and social interaction. She attends a weekly early-stage Alzheimer’s support group. Nora reports her phone conversations with her mother are more upbeat. Mrs. M., with the help of her daughter and care manager, Kathy Randall, is enjoying a safe and happy life in her own home.
Case Study
The adult children of Mr. and Mrs. R. had tried to abide by their parents’ wishes to age at home. That was until their father ended up in the hospital with a stroke. From there, doctors recommended a skilled-nursing facility for rehabilitation. The problem is there was nobody to care for Mom while Dad recovered. The adult children knew their mother had some memory problems, but Dad’s tender loving care had hidden the extent of her confusion. Now, the children were forced to make decisions regarding care for both parents. The family attorney referred them to Age @ Home and Kathy Randall, elder care manager/geriatric care manager. She assessed Mr. R. at the hospital and then met with Mrs. R. for an in-home assessment. Kathy developed individual treatment plans for both parents with the goal of keeping them both safely at home. She presented her plan at a family conference with the children. Kathy secured caregivers for Mrs. R., while Mr. R. recovered at the skilled facility. Home health care later helped Mr. R. transition back to his home and remained for Mrs. R., who received the dementia treatment she needed to slow the progression of the disease. The children divided up responsibilities and sought input from Age @ Home at each bump in the road. Two years later, the parents are thriving and still at home with the support of the care team, kids, caregivers and Kathy Randall.
Testimonial
When my Dad was 91, he decided at long last to move from his home in the Bay Area to “retirement” in San Diego, where my sister and I live. Dad had been active and still employed into his 90’s. His wife of 62 years died just before his 90th birthday. We were very happy when he decided to relocate.
We hired Kathy Randall shortly after his move, as Dad’s aging problems (medical and social) were more profound and complex than we had ever thought. We quickly realized we did not have the knowledge or skills to provide for all his needs. While my sister and I are both professionals (a lawyer and a psychologist), the care of an elderly parent is not something we felt we could experiment with. We recognized the need for a geriatric professional.
We had utilized a geriatric social worker once in the Bay Area; she was instrumental in helping Dad decide to move. We hoped Dad would welcome another “helper.” He did.
Kathy was recommended by my husband, an attorney who specializes in elder law.
Dad had medical problems, as most elders do, and a daunting and new (to him) Southern California Kaiser system to navigate. Kathy was fantastic at getting him needed appointments in specialty areas, including psychiatry. To our surprise, Dad began to exhibit some bizarre behaviors and an inability to care for many of his personal needs. The retirement community did not think he was a “fit” and they abruptly terminated his tenancy. Thank goodness we had Kathy on board to help in this difficult time! We had all the proper legal documents in place (trust, power of attorney, co-signatory on accounts, advance medical directives), but Kathy assisted in assessing Dad’s needs and seeing that his quality of life remained good despite multiple moves.
Kathy established a good rapport with dad. He looked forward to each of her visits. She has a wonderful ability to communicate with seniors.
Kathy assisted all of us in his transition to assisted living, and eventually skilled nursing care. As Dad’s needs changed and grew, she had ready access to the agencies and skilled caregivers he required to make his final years rich and comfortable. She was the “extra sister” who could take Dad to his medical appointments, add or change caregivers, counsel Dad, and do needed interface with doctors and institutions. For example, when Dad broke his ankle, extra in-home caregivers were suddenly needed. Kathy met the need. Kathy also met with those doing “case planning” conferences for Dad. She was an invaluable advisor and advocate.
I was able to continue my own life, including vacations out of the country, knowing that Dad was in good hands for any crisis or emergency.
When Dad finally died just short of his 95th birthday, I felt that Kathy had been an integral part of our family for his final years. I know he had the best care possible. Without Kathy, my sister and I would have muddled through, but Dad deserved the best. Kathy is the best.
Jackie, San Diego CA
Testimonial
After years of trying to manage my elderly, mentally ill mother’s care myself, I finally reached the breaking point when mom called “911” and had the paramedics take her to the hospital because she couldn’t get her nightgown on. I received a referral to Age @ Home and promptly scheduled a consultation and evaluation. Although my mother was not initially receptive to the services that Age @ Home had to offer, Kathy Randall worked to develop a relationship of trust with mom so that she would be open to having a case manager. Having a case manager has given me back my peace of mind and has allowed me to go back to being a daughter instead of a care manager. In addition to knowing her way around the health care and geriatric care systems and knowing how to get things done, Kathy has assisted mom in setting up doctor’s appointments, finding an IHSS worker, has accompanied mom to doctor visits, gone to the ER with mom, visited her at her home and at the hospital, and routinely visits her at the skilled nursing facility where she is currently staying. Kathy always keeps me posted on mom’s condition (both physical and mental) and provides a lot of emotional support to both my mom and me. I really do not know how I got along without her all those years. I would highly recommend the services of Age @ Home to anyone who feels overwhelmed by a care giving situation with an elderly family member.
Lynn, San Diego, CA
Testimonial
About 2 years ago my uncle who lives in North San Diego County was about to be released from skilled care after 2 hospitalizations. The plan was for him to have caregivers at home to assist with his ongoing needs. My uncle had no immediate family in the area to help him. My cousin who lives in the Central Coast of California and I have power of attorney and healthcare power of attorney for our uncle and I live in North Carolina. As I was getting ready to leave California, the patient care advocate at the company providing the caregivers suggested I contact Kathy Randall at Age @ Home and explore care management for my uncle. After speaking to Kathy for 10 minutes, I knew we needed these services. I delayed my departure 1 day to meet with Kathy and introduce her to my uncle.
Age @ Home takes over and does all the things a family would if available including coordinating the caregivers and doctor appointments, hospital visits, getting prescriptions ordered and delivered, and checking in on the client to report his overall health and well being. I don’t know how we could have managed my uncle’s care without the care managers from Age @ Home. I highly recommend their services for anyone needing local support for an aging family member.
Russ, Greensboro, NC 27401
