The Challenge

John and Sarah James* moved to Glenmeadow five years ago, and from the start, their sons Ron and Bill* noted that their care here was “outstanding,” said Ron.

John died several years after the couple moved in. A couple of years later, Sarah, despite an active lifestyle and socializing with other Glenmeadow residents, began to have memory issues—to the point where she lost her health insurance because she forgot to make her payments, and her medications were not being filled or taken.

How We Helped

Our Care Management team got Sarah her health care coverage back and they have helped her with other concerns, providing guidance, planning, coordination—and peace of mind, not only for Sarah, who is in her eighties, but also for her sons.

“Our father always paid the family bills,” explained Bill. So, after Sarah forgot to pay her credit card and phone bills as well resulting in her landline phone service being suspended, Sarah, Ron and Bill tapped into Glenmeadow’s Care Management support to get her bills paid and her taxes taken care of. Our Home Health Services, also arranged for elective but necessary medical procedures for Sarah and took her to a surgeon. “They really stepped up to the plate,” said Bill. “They knew exactly what to do. We know she’s in good hands.”

The Result

Since both Ron and Bill live far away, Glenmeadow’s Care Management service provides them with reassurance that a team is there for their mother when the brothers aren’t in western Massachusetts. “We have no family in the area,” said Ron. “When COVID hit, it totally shut down our ability to visit Sarah for a long period of time. She doesn’t do cell phones or email, so when we call, she’s sometimes hard to reach. She’s extremely physically active. Just knowing she is in a safe environment—knowing that people at Glenmeadow are providing a higher level of care—is extremely comforting to us.”

For Ron and Bill, Care Management means having someone with “boots on the ground” and feeling more at ease about their mother’s well-being while living far away.

“Glenmeadow as always good about explaining the additional help that was available,” said Ron. “We needed a more comprehensive approach. The key was getting Sarah to accept it, and she finally did. We’re extremely grateful and thankful for all Glenmeadow does for her.”

*The Glenmeadow residents’ names and their children’s names have been changed in this story to protect their identities.