Case Study 1 - Links to Life a Personal Story

Client Profile		Health Status
Disabled adult woman 52-years-old Socially isolated		Congestive heart failure Other chronic illnesses Numerous medications

Enviromental Status		Transportation Status
Bathing was unsafe No air conditioning (health risk) In need of in-home help		Eligible for public transportation Unable to stand and wait for a bus

Health Response
Our Care Manager established the communication network between our client, the doctor’s office and the pharmacy, to ensure a timely delivery of all her medications.

Environmental Response
We provided a grab bar, a hand-held shower nozzle and a bath chair to improve our client’s safety while bathing.
Our Care Manager advocated for her client with her apartment management and succeeded in having a window air-conditioning unit installed in the client’s apartment.

Transportation Response
We applied for a grant to purchase an electric scooter for our client. The grant was awarded and the client received her scooter, enabling her to move about with much more freedom.

Client Profile
Our client is now able to remain safely and comfortably at home and is no longer home bound. The electric scooter has allowed her much more independence. She travels to the grocery store, pharmacy, and even to her doctor’s appointments on her scooter. She travels around her apartment complex and out in the community meeting and interacting with other individuals. Her whole outlook on life has improved as was demonstrated by her comment to us, “Thank you for giving my life back to me.”

Case Study 2 – A Family Caregiver

Care Recipient Profile		Caregiver Profile
Hospice recipient 92-years-old Has lived in his own home all his life Diabetic and had multiple strokes Bed-bound, demented, and incontinent		Daughter was the sole caregiver Moved from Reno a year ago Little family support, with no close friends Feeling tired, isolated and frustrated

FOCUS: To reduce the daughter’s feelings of being overwhelmed caused by burn-out.

Three goals were established and met:

1. Contacted hospice team and got a volunteer to visit the client once a week.
2. Hired an in-home caregiver to come twice a week, allowing the daughter to get out of the house and take a break from providing care to her father.
3. Referred the daughter to resources for caregiver counseling and support.

Our Care Manager made arrangements for the daughter to attend a three-day caregiver retreat program, and arranged for respite care for her father so she could attend.

“I never knew there were support groups for caregivers. I can go there and share my experiences with other people who are in the same situation. It’s my best time.”

The daughter learned at the caregiver retreat that sometimes the care recipient hangs on to life because he is worried about the caregiver, and that it’s O.K. to give permission to the dying loved one to let go when they are ready.

“Dad died peacefully. I told Dad, don’t worry about me. You can go now. When you go there you will see all your family members, your parents, your brothers and sisters, and your dogs.”