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Life Changes � Son Helps Mother �Start Over�
Situation: In the last year, 68 year old Olive lost her husband and downsized her home. When moving, Olive enlisted her son to help her pack and sort through paperwork. They were both amazed at how much paperwork and information she had accumulated. After getting settled in her new residence, Olive decided to follow her son’s advice and meet with a geriatric care manager to get organized.
Our Role: A Health Care Manager met with Olive and her son to conduct an initial assessment, including reviewing all of the documents necessary to create her personal health record. After going over all of Olive’s general medical information (e.g. medications, doctors, special instructions for each prescription), Olive mentioned that she had a long term care policy, but couldn’t locate the paperwork and didn’t really understand all of her benefits. Her Health Care Manager had her call her agent for another copy of the plan and gave her questions to ask the agent about the coverage and benefits of her long term care policy, as these policies can vary greatly. Reviewing Olive’s advance directives prompted a discussion of her living will, her desire to register as an organ donor, and the need to change her power of attorney for health care from her deceased husband to her son. Her Health Care Manager also uncovered that Olive had not yet changed her sole beneficiary from her deceased husband to her son, which could have resulted in the state, instead of her family, receiving her estate. After the Health Care Manager compiled her “My Health Care Manager’s Personal Health RecordSM”, Olive shredded her outdated records and marveled at the convenience of having all of her critical health paperwork in one compact binder.
Outcome: Olive became a member at a level with a monthly visit from her Health Care Manager to keep her health care record updated, allow her to ask questions, and occasionally have her Health Care Manager accompany her on doctor visits. She and her son now understand her long term care policy, although she has no intention of needing the coverage anytime soon. Prompted by this experience, Olive enlisted My Health Care Manager to conduct an insurance review- a wise decision, as the review discovered an overlap in plans, allowing her to reduce her coverage and save nearly a thousand dollars per year. Olive also met with her lawyer and updated her advance directives and power of attorney. She continues to live independently, enjoys time with her son, and says that ‘getting things in order’ to ease the burden on her son in the event of a crisis was one of the best decisions she’s ever made.
Maintaining Independence � Tom and Judy
Stable Senior � Family Wants Advice and To Know What They Don�t Know
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Post-Op � Husband and Wife Prepare for the Future
Senior Caregiver – Seeks Organization and Assistance with Wife’s Health Care |
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