Barbara – Resistant to Care
At 76 years old, Barbara was living alone in a townhome, having been widowed for about 11 years. Her friend/financial advisor had noticed a severe decline in Barbara’s well-being, memory, and ability to perform daily tasks. The friend was also worried about whether Barbara’s current private in-home caregiver could adequately meet her needs. Since she lived out of town and knew Barbara had no other family who could help her, her friend contacted Windward to inquire about our services and encouraged Barbara to cooperate with an assessment. At first, Barbara was very resistant to any type of help, including care management, but did allow the Aging Life Care Manager to evaluate and present potential problems and solutions.
Our Role
- The Aging Life Care Manager conducted a thorough assessment, identifying concerns in Barbara’s living situation (unkempt home, safety hazards), physical health (poor diet), and mental health (paranoia, anxiety, memory).
- Despite Barbara’s initial resistance, the Aging Life Care Manager succeeded in getting her to see her primary care physician, attend referral appointments, and take medications.
- Barbara’s private caregiver joined the Windward team and received Home Care Aide training to properly care for Barbara, improve her living situation, and set boundaries.
- Barbara’s now trusted Aging Life Care Manager supported her in finding an appropriate in-patient mental health treatment program, resulting in Barbara gaining the capacity to make clearheaded decisions about her care.
- Windward staff vetted assisted-living facilities within Barbara’s price range and preferences; her Aging Life Care Manager coordinated all moving needs and continued to visit Barbara to ensure the quality of her in-home care.