When 93-year-old William was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, his stepchildren moved in with him to help with his daily care, claiming proper care management would be too expensive. When William’s biological daughter, Carol, would come by for visits she started having small concerns about his finances that weren’t sitting right with her, and his overall well-being seemed to be getting worse instead of better. After further investigation, she learned her father was being financially exploited by his stepchildren and petitioned the courts for guardianship.

Carol was working towards recovering her father’s financial information when he had a terrible fall, resulting in a fractured hip. This created challenges that Carol felt were a bit too much for her to handle, and that’s when she called me for guidance. As William was near the end of his rehabilitation and was preparing to go home, Carol knew he wouldn’t be able to take care of himself but couldn’t take on the responsibility herself. I helped her select an assisted living community, but William was very unhappy not being in his own home. We gave it a few months to see if he would adjust, but his mindset remained the same.

I suggested to Carol that her father might do much better if he returned home, and that we could implement 24/7 caregivers and home modifications to make sure he was well cared for. She agreed but was hesitant due to the now strained relationship with her step-siblings. I offered to serve as a communication liaison for the family and they all agreed to the terms I set for a productive meeting. The mediation was tense but ended in a solution they could all support, so we got to work.

I assisted Carol with the discharge planning and coordination and organized William’s return to his home. I arranged for the installation of a wheelchair ramp, hospital bed, shower chair, and electric standing lift to make the transition easier. I found and helped Carol hire a quality caregiving company, then worked with them to set up a medicine planner, meal plan, and grocery/meal delivery. Over the next few months I made random spot checks to supervise caregivers and make sure William was settling in well. I now send weekly written reports to Carol since she cannot visit as often as she would like to.

Caregiving comes with a lot of unexpected challenges that involve family conflict, emergency accidents, financial stress, as well as many other twists and turns. If you or someone you know is a caregiver that’s beginning to feel like it’s all too much to handle, we’re here to help. Our expertise helps us create unique solutions to fit the lives of each unique senior, and our connection to local resources assures we’ll find you the best care. For more information, please call us at (317) 300-5454 or enjoy our other client stories.