Each year CARIE assists thousands of elders, providing information, options counseling and advocacy with a broad arrant of challenges and concerns. We share several stories of the ways that CARIE staff have worked with elders and caregivers to ensure that older adults are able to live with the greatest well-being, independence, and quality of life possible.
Patricia and Her Family Could Stay in Their Home
Pat was frail and nursing home eligible but preferred to live in her own home with family. Due to her inability to manage her finances, Pat had received a water shut-off notice and faced the potential shut-off of her electricity. In addition, a sheriff’s sale had been scheduled to execute a tax lien against her property. If the sale went through, Pat, her daughter, her grandchildren and her physically and intellectually disabled brother, all of whom lived with her, would be without a home. Pat and her brother would have no option but to enter a nursing home while her daughter and grandchildren would be homeless. The CARIE Advocate worked with Pat to address each of her problems. The Advocate connected her to legal services which succeeded in getting her property off the tax sale list and in arranging for her to pay the tax arrearages. The Advocate then helped her apply to a program for restoration of water service, made sure that her first payments were accepted, and facilitated an agreement to pay the outstanding electric bills. Pat had previously applied to the Living Independently for Elders (LIFE) program for services to help her continue to live at home but her application had been stalled pending resolution of her housing issues. With those resolved, her application moved forward and LIFE began working with Pat to arrange for services and Pat was able to get the supports needed to keep her family intact in the home that they continued to share.
Tom Got the Medications He Needed
During the height of the COVID pandemic, Tom contacted CARIE overwhelmed with changes to his insurance. Tom had no access to a computer with internet access and was struggling to make sense of different letters he was receiving regarding coverage changes. He believed that he was losing coverage and would be unable to fill his prescriptions. Tom had become eligible for Medicare and was transitioning from his previous Medicaid coverage in the HealthChoices program to the relatively new Community HealthChoices program but was unable to get to anyone from the agencies sending the information who would help him understand the changes and secure the coverage he needed. The CARIE Advocate helped address Tom’s concerns over the course of multiple telephone appointments and made numerous conference calls to verify his insurance coverage and benefits. Based on Tom’s health challenges, lack of tech access, and prevailing COVID-19 concerns, the Advocate was able to help secure mail-order drugs that Tom would not have been able to secure totally on his own.
Georgeanne Gained Financial Independence
Although disabled, Georgeanne was not receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and was relying on her sister and her own savings to pay her living and health care expenses. As her savings dwindled and her sister was no longer able to provide support, she came to CARIE hoping to find a way to become financially independent. The CARIE advocate helped Georgeanne avoid a gap in health care coverage and have her SSDI back-dated to her date of original eligibility. The Advocate informed Georgeanne of benefits for which she might be eligible, including Medicaid, the Medicare Savings Program, the Low-Income Subsidy (LIS), and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), explaining the advantages and disadvantages of her options and helping her file her applications. When Georgeanne opted to go with a Medicare Advantage plan, the advocate counseled her to contact her physicians to make sure so that she could keep her current physician. Togethery they reviewed her prescriptions to make sure that her drugs were covered by the plan she selected as well.. When it became apparent that she was going to run into difficulty with her benefits applications because she had failed to file the previous year’s tax return, the advocate referred Georgeanne for assistance in getting her tax situation straightened out. With the tax issue resolved, she was able to enroll in all of the benefits for which she was eligible. Georgeanne was very grateful for her new financial independence. Because she had come to see the CARIE LINE advocate as knowledgeable, skilled and trustworthy, she shared two additional concerns and referred two friends to the CARIE LINE.
Helen Was Home with Family at the End of Life
Margaret called our CARIE LINE because she wanted to take her terminally ill mother, Helen, home from the hospital to honor her wish to die among family. When Margaret contacted Helen’s Medicaid managed care plan she was told that her mother’s only option for coverage was admission to a nursing home because she was on a ventilator. The CARIE Advocate believed that with proper supports, Helen would be able to die at home as she wished. The Advocate contacted both the insurance company and the Department of Public Welfare (DPW). After a number of calls in which staff advocated on behalf of Margaret and her mother, asserting that ventilatory support could be provided as part of Helen’s end of life care at home, DPW notified the insurance company that it was not an acceptable practice to provide coverage only if Helen received care in a nursing home. CARIE’s advocacy for Helen’s right to die peacefully at home not only benefitted her and her family but also benefited all of those who were insured by this company who in the future might need a ventilator or other specialized care and now will be able to be cared for at home rather than in a nursing facility.
Words from clients:
“Covid has made it very difficult for me to connect with my doctors and providers. You helped me understand my benefits and made sure I didn’t lose anything when no one else seemed able to help me. Thanks!” — C.R.
“Thank you so much! You helped me advocate for my brother. He’s on SSI. I couldn’t get his Medicare Part A in place. You provided the key that unlocked the door! I was able to fill out the application. He now has Part A and we’re working on Part D. Thank you, thank you thank you! I really appreciate what you do and how you do it.” – M.A.
“Just when I lost my faith in mankind, you gave it back to me.” – A.K.
“You could teach other companies how to deal with the public. I have never felt so at ease before. Many thanks for your help.” – P. G.
