She recommended care for others – then her own family needed it
Charla has spent more than 40 years helping patients and families navigate care as a nurse patient advocate. She later drew on that experience in a deeply personal role: caring for the woman she called mom – Mama Edy.
“I started utilizing Warren County ESP for patients who needed help caring for their family once they went home from the hospital,” Charla explained. “And then I passed that information on to church friends…and then we, too, found ourselves needing that kind of care.”
Mama Edy was homebound and depended on family and caregivers for her care. Charla would have provided all of that care herself if she could, but she knew one person could not do it alone.
“I think we all want to provide optimal care for our loved ones,” Charla said, “but we can’t be there 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Warren County ESP was a critical piece of Mama Edy’s care puzzle, helping to fill in gaps when other members of her care team could not be there. For example, ESP provided a home health aide in the mornings to help Mama Edy start her day. Charla and her husband provided care in the evenings – sometimes overnight. The family paid privately for care at other times during the day.
With support from Warren County ESP and the rest of Mama Edy’s care team, Charla was able to continue working and attend to her own health while undergoing cancer treatment. “It gave me such peace of mind knowing she was getting the type of care I would have wanted her to have when I couldn’t be there,” Charla said. “It was a true blessing.”
Charla appreciates ESP from many vantage points. “As a nurse for over 40 years, as well as a patient and caregiver of my family, I know the needs of people who don’t want to go into a nursing home and want to stay at home,” she explained. “These services provide that option and that opportunity.”
Charla knows families often need help before they have time to learn what support is available. “So many times, something happens and you are not prepared as a family,” she said. “You’re overwhelmed, a crisis has happened, and you need help walking through the process. Warren County ESP provides that guidance.”
Warren County’s senior services tax levy provides most of the funding for ESP. The current 1.21-mill levy costs approximately $22 a year for every $100,000 of home value. It expires at the end of this year. Renewal is needed so more than 2,700 Warren County older adults can continue receiving services in their homes, and it will not raise taxes. For Charla and her family, those services provided essential care and peace of mind.
“I have helped many patients find assistance for in-home care and [Warren County’s senior services levy] has been a godsend,” Charla said. “Without these services, without this levy, many people would have to go into a nursing home.”
“I started utilizing Warren County ESP for patients who needed help caring for their family once they went home from the hospital,” Charla explained. “And then I passed that information on to church friends…and then we, too, found ourselves needing that kind of care.”
Mama Edy was homebound and depended on family and caregivers for her care. Charla would have provided all of that care herself if she could, but she knew one person could not do it alone.
“I think we all want to provide optimal care for our loved ones,” Charla said, “but we can’t be there 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Warren County ESP was a critical piece of Mama Edy’s care puzzle, helping to fill in gaps when other members of her care team could not be there. For example, ESP provided a home health aide in the mornings to help Mama Edy start her day. Charla and her husband provided care in the evenings – sometimes overnight. The family paid privately for care at other times during the day.
With support from Warren County ESP and the rest of Mama Edy’s care team, Charla was able to continue working and attend to her own health while undergoing cancer treatment. “It gave me such peace of mind knowing she was getting the type of care I would have wanted her to have when I couldn’t be there,” Charla said. “It was a true blessing.”
Charla appreciates ESP from many vantage points. “As a nurse for over 40 years, as well as a patient and caregiver of my family, I know the needs of people who don’t want to go into a nursing home and want to stay at home,” she explained. “These services provide that option and that opportunity.”
Charla knows families often need help before they have time to learn what support is available. “So many times, something happens and you are not prepared as a family,” she said. “You’re overwhelmed, a crisis has happened, and you need help walking through the process. Warren County ESP provides that guidance.”
Warren County’s senior services tax levy provides most of the funding for ESP. The current 1.21-mill levy costs approximately $22 a year for every $100,000 of home value. It expires at the end of this year. Renewal is needed so more than 2,700 Warren County older adults can continue receiving services in their homes, and it will not raise taxes. For Charla and her family, those services provided essential care and peace of mind.
“I have helped many patients find assistance for in-home care and [Warren County’s senior services levy] has been a godsend,” Charla said. “Without these services, without this levy, many people would have to go into a nursing home.”