Submitted by: Maria Suhr, RN - Sr. Options Cares Manager
Barb embodies the word happy! Every time I speak to her, I can see her smiling face over the phone. But when I first met her, she was not as confident and exuberant.
I first spoke with Barb in the end of October 2021 when she first enrolled in Passport/Waiver. She was going to start to receive Home Delivered Meals and was excited about this! I could however tell that she was nervous about something. We talked about what we thought her needs might be and when I mentioned having a nurse come in to help her with her medications, she lit it. I could feel it over the phone. Over the following weeks we talked about her Medicaid benefits. She was happy that she could maybe get a new hearing aid, get her eyes examined and see the Dentist.
The next conversation between Barb and I we spoke about transportation that was available through Passport. She started using transportation and told me that she felt a little freer and she did not have to worry about asking friends or family for a ride.
Barb told me that Passport has helped to give her confidence, so she did not need to go to the nursing home. She also told me that she was more relaxed and did not worry so much about how she was going to get food or if she was taking the correct medications at the correct time. She also has an ERS, just in case something does happen that she can call for help. This, I personally think soothed her mind the most. Barb also knows that transportation is just a phone call away.
When I asked her what she thought the biggest benefit of her being on Passport/Waiver she said “I get to stay in my home, where I am most happy. I just needed a little help that I did not know was available, I really thought I might have to go to a nursing home.”
Barb, I think would be happy anywhere, but I am glad that she is happy at home with the help of Passport.