Donald celebrates his 90th birthday with Humana At Home
Before he retired, Donald was a music professor. Now 90 years old, he still regularly plays his flute, viola and piano — but he wasn’t always so active.
After 46 years of marriage, Donald’s beloved wife Jane passed away in 2007. Beyond the deep grief he felt after losing his life partner, Donald’s health was also in poor condition. Suffering from coronary obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure (CHF), and sleep apnea, Donald found it difficult to manage his own health, let alone manage the household he and Jane had run together for years.
Donald’s daughter Audrey worried about how he was managing his health, but she lived in another state and couldn’t visit him often, though they kept in frequent communication. Both the house and Donald’s health fell into disrepair. Then Humana At Home stepped in.
Late in 2015, Donald was in the hospital to undergo a procedure on his heart. As a Humana Medicare Advantage member, he was assigned a care manager, Agnes, to help him transition back to living in his home after his hospital discharge.
Agnes worked with Donald on a number of things in order to improve how he managed his health. Noticing his shortness of breath, which Donald had assumed his cardiologist would be able to manage, Agnes coordinated an appointment for Donald to see a lung specialist. The pulmonologist changed his medications, which improved Donald’s breathing problems and likely saved him from another hospitalization.*
However, new medication wouldn’t have helped Donald if he wasn’t compliant with his prescription. Agnes helped him organize his morning and evening prescriptions, and highlighted how important it was for him to take his medications as prescribed. She also helped Donald plan meals that were both nutritious and didn’t interfere with the medications he was taking. Equipped with new knowledge and confidence, Donald cancelled his Meals on Wheels program in favor of selecting and cooking food for himself at home.
With his physical health improving, it was time to improve Donald’s surroundings. The house he lived in was cluttered after his stretch of poor health and lack of a partner to help manage it, so Agnes found a budget-friendly housekeeper to visit Donald’s house on a weekly basis to help him keep things clean and organized. What’s more, a de-cluttered environment keeps Donald from having to worry about hazards that might cause him to trip and fall.
Since Agnes has been working with him, Donald has returned to a more active lifestyle — he sometimes plays his flute or viola for Agnes when she visits. His daughter, Audrey, has also noticed the difference in her father.
“I am so grateful for [Agnes] and for Humana,” she says. “I can rest more easily at night knowing he has people who are looking out for him so close by. I know he is healthier and happier.”
“Agnes really made a difference in my life,” says Donald. “I’m not sure where I’d be without her.”
*For Humana At Home members, hospitalizations are nearly cut in half (40 percent) for those at highest risk for frequent admissions.
