Case Study : Susan
Susan was married, held a full-time job and lived in California. Her father was in his 70s and had a history of a debilitating bipolar condition. He had recently been diagnosed with dementia as well. He was cared for in an assisted living facility.
Susan's brother Jim in Arizona said he wanted to share responsibility for their father, and offered to take over his care. Reluctantly, Susan arranged for her father to leave the assisted living facility and go to Arizona.
Within hours, it was clear Jim did not understand the depth of his father's problems and the type of care he needed. Shortly after his father arrived at the property, which encompassed more than 40 acres, Jim put his father in a golf cart and told him to drive it to a mobile home on the property, where Jim would meet him. His father never made it to the mobile home. State troopers, search-and-rescue teams and tracking dogs were called in. They found him after about four hours of searching.
Things did not get any better, and within weeks Jim was pleading for his father to return to California. By that time, Susan was at her wits' end with worry and concern about her father's health.
Susan retained Aging Solutions to help get her father back from Arizona and placed into an appropriate facility in California. We were able to handle all of the arrangements, including buying furniture, clothing and other personal possessions. We kept in touch with Jim in Arizona to help him get through the transition. And most importantly, we were able to place Susan's father in an appropriate facility within a week - and without the facility's staff having assessed him in person beforehand, which is almost never done.
However, because we had all the appropriate information, including medical information, we were able to coordinate the placement. This also allowed Susan to be able to stay at her job most of the time, instead of taking a week off.
Additionally, we referred Susan to a financial planner who processed her father's Medi-Cal application. With his help, they were able to preserve $30,000 in assets, which helped to compensate her.
Susan was referred by a health care professional. We provided 15 hours of service over 3 weeks.