Jean
Jean, 73, has been hit with a lot the past few years. She is proud to be on the other side of a knee replacement, pulmonary embolism and breast cancer. Through it all, Hamilton County’s Elderly Services Program (ESP) has been by her side.
Diagnosed in 2018 with breast cancer, Jean tried to manage on her own, but came to accept that she couldn’t do it all while living alone in her second floor apartment.
Jean knew just where to turn because of her mother’s success as a Council on Aging (COA) client. Jean’s mother passed in 2017, and she smiles when she remembers her mother’s care. “No one can fully prepare for death, but Council on Aging helped us both through a difficult time.”
Becoming the second generation of COA clients in her family, Jean called COA and was connected to Hamilton County ESP. She began receiving weekly help with light housekeeping and an electronic monitoring system (life alert button) she wears on her wrist.
She raves about her care manager, Melissa, who visits her often and gives her the support she needs to stay in her home. “You can really count on her. Everything she says is going to happen, happens. In the past, I have had trouble with nurses and therapists not showing up. Many people have been coming and going, but she’s the best.”
When the COVID-19 crisis changed the world, and older adults were encouraged to stay at home, Jean began receiving home-delivered meals. Though reluctant at first, Jean was surprised by how the meals had changed since the days when her mother relied on them. She is beyond happy with the weekly meals she receives now.
“This has really changed my life. Because of ESP, I am still living at home.”
Diagnosed in 2018 with breast cancer, Jean tried to manage on her own, but came to accept that she couldn’t do it all while living alone in her second floor apartment.
Jean knew just where to turn because of her mother’s success as a Council on Aging (COA) client. Jean’s mother passed in 2017, and she smiles when she remembers her mother’s care. “No one can fully prepare for death, but Council on Aging helped us both through a difficult time.”
Becoming the second generation of COA clients in her family, Jean called COA and was connected to Hamilton County ESP. She began receiving weekly help with light housekeeping and an electronic monitoring system (life alert button) she wears on her wrist.
She raves about her care manager, Melissa, who visits her often and gives her the support she needs to stay in her home. “You can really count on her. Everything she says is going to happen, happens. In the past, I have had trouble with nurses and therapists not showing up. Many people have been coming and going, but she’s the best.”
When the COVID-19 crisis changed the world, and older adults were encouraged to stay at home, Jean began receiving home-delivered meals. Though reluctant at first, Jean was surprised by how the meals had changed since the days when her mother relied on them. She is beyond happy with the weekly meals she receives now.
“This has really changed my life. Because of ESP, I am still living at home.”
