FastTrack Home helps Butler County resident take steps to recovery
Bill – a Butler County resident – was used to staying busy with work, family activities and camping. But in December 2023 a gastric obstruction forced him to slow down, and subsequent complications left him unable to walk on his own a few months later.
Before becoming ill, Bill, 76, owned a construction company. After selling the company, he took a job with the Lakota Local School District as a custodian and then shifted to working as a bus driver.
Kathy – Bill’s wife of 53 years – worked as an aide for the district. During the last year before Bill became sick, she rode as an aide on the bus Bill drove. “We were going to do it another year, but then this happened,” Kathy said, referring to Bill’s illness.
Their work with the school district was put on hold while the couple navigated the twists and turns Bill’s health would take during the better part of 2024. Attempts to clear the obstruction were unsuccessful, so doctors made a new opening in his stomach. Bill couldn’t keep food down and “he looked ill. He kept losing weight and he had no energy,” Kathy said.
Bill ended up on a ventilator and in the hospital for five weeks after he aspirated barium during placement of a nasojejunal tube for nutrition. The couple is fortunate to have three children and three grandchildren living nearby who provided support during his illness and recovery. “Every time I woke up in the hospital there was a family member there, so that was good,” Bill said.
When he was well enough, Bill was able to go home from the hospital rather than to a rehab center. “I bet it takes longer to get straightened up at a rehab. When you’re at home with the family, it gives you more to get going because you want to be with them,” he said.
Upon arrival home, however, it became clear there was a problem. To access the front door, there was a set of steps with no handrail. Bill was not yet strong enough to climb steps without help from two people. In addition, accessing the home’s lower level required navigating steps.
After one last bump in Bill’s road to recovery – he became malnourished and dehydrated and had a central line placed for nutrition – he settled in at home and the family made do with getting Bill in and out of the house with a two-person assist.
That summer, the couple’s son-in-law learned about Council on Aging (COA) and made a referral on their behalf. A COA care manager from its FastTrack Home program visited the couple at home within several days to assess their needs.
FastTrack Home is a transitional care program administered by COA that provides no-cost, temporary services to older adults upon return home from the hospital or skilled nursing facility. Its goal is to prevent expensive, and often traumatic, returns to the hospital.
The program launched in Butler County in 2024. “The cost of FastTrack Home is significantly lower than the longer-term Butler County Elderly Services Program,” said Ken Wilson, COA’s vice president of program operations.
Both programs are funded by the Butler County Senior Services Levy. FastTrack Home makes it financially viable to serve more older adults in the county with the funds available from the levy. “It’s a short-term intervention that helps people get back on their feet. We’ve found that about 60% of participants don’t need care after 60 days,” Wilson said.
Bill and Kathy qualified for railing installations at their front steps and the interior steps down to the lower level of their home. Some FastTrack Home clients qualify for services such as home-delivered meals, transportation, homemaking and other home modifications and durable medical equipment. All clients are assigned a care manager who coordinates their services and works with the client to ensure they are managing their medications properly and know how to recognize recovery “red flags.”
Bill and Kathy were thrilled with the installation of their stair railings. “There was no way we could have gotten those up by ourselves,” Kathy said.
“It’s a blessing to get up and down the steps. My worry was falling and with Kathy helping me she wouldn’t be able to hold my weight,” Bill said. “Once you’re able to take care of yourself, it’s great. I hate to depend on somebody else. I think we all do.” “If it hadn’t been for the FastTrack Home program, he would have been limited inside the house. We are outdoor people, and he wanted to go outside and sit in the lawn chair. If FastTrack hadn’t installed the handrails, we would have been stuck inside all summer. It’s a blessing that they came out and got those in for us,” Kathy said.
Before becoming ill, Bill, 76, owned a construction company. After selling the company, he took a job with the Lakota Local School District as a custodian and then shifted to working as a bus driver.
Kathy – Bill’s wife of 53 years – worked as an aide for the district. During the last year before Bill became sick, she rode as an aide on the bus Bill drove. “We were going to do it another year, but then this happened,” Kathy said, referring to Bill’s illness.
Their work with the school district was put on hold while the couple navigated the twists and turns Bill’s health would take during the better part of 2024. Attempts to clear the obstruction were unsuccessful, so doctors made a new opening in his stomach. Bill couldn’t keep food down and “he looked ill. He kept losing weight and he had no energy,” Kathy said.
Bill ended up on a ventilator and in the hospital for five weeks after he aspirated barium during placement of a nasojejunal tube for nutrition. The couple is fortunate to have three children and three grandchildren living nearby who provided support during his illness and recovery. “Every time I woke up in the hospital there was a family member there, so that was good,” Bill said.
When he was well enough, Bill was able to go home from the hospital rather than to a rehab center. “I bet it takes longer to get straightened up at a rehab. When you’re at home with the family, it gives you more to get going because you want to be with them,” he said.
Upon arrival home, however, it became clear there was a problem. To access the front door, there was a set of steps with no handrail. Bill was not yet strong enough to climb steps without help from two people. In addition, accessing the home’s lower level required navigating steps.
After one last bump in Bill’s road to recovery – he became malnourished and dehydrated and had a central line placed for nutrition – he settled in at home and the family made do with getting Bill in and out of the house with a two-person assist.
That summer, the couple’s son-in-law learned about Council on Aging (COA) and made a referral on their behalf. A COA care manager from its FastTrack Home program visited the couple at home within several days to assess their needs.
FastTrack Home is a transitional care program administered by COA that provides no-cost, temporary services to older adults upon return home from the hospital or skilled nursing facility. Its goal is to prevent expensive, and often traumatic, returns to the hospital.
The program launched in Butler County in 2024. “The cost of FastTrack Home is significantly lower than the longer-term Butler County Elderly Services Program,” said Ken Wilson, COA’s vice president of program operations.
Both programs are funded by the Butler County Senior Services Levy. FastTrack Home makes it financially viable to serve more older adults in the county with the funds available from the levy. “It’s a short-term intervention that helps people get back on their feet. We’ve found that about 60% of participants don’t need care after 60 days,” Wilson said.
Bill and Kathy qualified for railing installations at their front steps and the interior steps down to the lower level of their home. Some FastTrack Home clients qualify for services such as home-delivered meals, transportation, homemaking and other home modifications and durable medical equipment. All clients are assigned a care manager who coordinates their services and works with the client to ensure they are managing their medications properly and know how to recognize recovery “red flags.”
Bill and Kathy were thrilled with the installation of their stair railings. “There was no way we could have gotten those up by ourselves,” Kathy said.
“It’s a blessing to get up and down the steps. My worry was falling and with Kathy helping me she wouldn’t be able to hold my weight,” Bill said. “Once you’re able to take care of yourself, it’s great. I hate to depend on somebody else. I think we all do.” “If it hadn’t been for the FastTrack Home program, he would have been limited inside the house. We are outdoor people, and he wanted to go outside and sit in the lawn chair. If FastTrack hadn’t installed the handrails, we would have been stuck inside all summer. It’s a blessing that they came out and got those in for us,” Kathy said.
