About this site...

We are delighted you are reviewing the Care is There "Demo family blog". This blog illustrates how the family of a client may communicate with a Lifestyle Coordinator from Care is There.

Disclaimer:
The story is fictional, although it draws upon our experience with older adults who are struggling to remain independent. Any similarity between this story and actual persons or situations is purely coincidental.

This blog is different from a family blog because it is visible to the public. Real family blogs can only be seen by individuals specified by the family. Real family blogs are also blocked from search engine indexing. 

The Family


Meet Lillian. She’s a 79 year old woman who lives in an independent living apartment in central Virginia. She has two daughters, Retta (Harriet) Cassidy and Kathy Demo. Lillian was widowed about three and a half years ago, and now she lives alone.

Retta, the older daughter, lives in a Washington DC suburb and participates in Lillian’s life as much as she can from 2 hours away (by car). Retta is married, has a part time job, and has three children. She is responsible for her own family’s active life and cannot always leave town to assist her mother whenever a problem arises. Retta worries a lot about Mom.

Kathy, the younger daughter, is divorced and lives across the country in California. Kathy keeps up with her family’s activities by phone, email, and social media. Because she lives so far away, she cannot help with Lillian’s day-to-day life. She often contacts Retta for updates about Mom.


The Problem


Retta is concerned about Lillian. Lillian has missed a few appointments with her doctors and dentist over the last 6 months or so. This is unusual for Lillian - she has always been very punctual and organized in managing her affairs. Sometimes when Retta calls, nobody answers the phone. Twice recently, Retta has called the reception desk at Lillian’s apartment building to get someone to check on her when her calls have not been answered.

Fortunately, everything has been OK so far. When this happens, Retta fears the worst, that Lillian has fallen in the bathroom or has had a stroke or heart attack.

Retta wonders if Lillian should be in assisted living. Assisted living would be a significant increase in cost for the family, and it would be a big undertaking to move. Lillian does not want to move because she is comfortable in her apartment.


Care is There


Retta has hired Care is There to check on Lillian weekly and assist with medical appointments. Retta would also like an objective assessment of how Lillian is really faring on her own. Maybe things aren’t as bad as she fears; or, maybe there are problems she does not know about, and it really is time for action.

See also Lillian's Care Plan for an example of a care plan from Care is There.