esp helps middletown man adapt to major life changes
Sometimes we decide to make changes in our life. And sometimes, life decides for us. Changes certainly happened to Leamul. Through necessity, Leamul, 61, had to make big changes in his life. When those changes got the better of him, the Butler County Elderly Services Program (ESP) helped him through.
When Leamul was in the workforce, he was a hardworking semi-truck driver. Then the change came. An accident left him with injuries that confined him to an electric wheelchair.
Bills piled up. Clutter took over his Middletown apartment. His landlord threatened eviction. There wasn’t room to maneuver his wheelchair, and many days he could only remain in the corner. Because his home was unclean, he was not able to get a home care provider and his family didn’t want to visit.
As if this weren’t difficult enough, food insecurity was a daily part of Leamul’s life.
Leamul needed help and he found it in the Elderly Services Program – one step at a time.
First, ESP performed a major household cleaning, purging much of the clutter in his apartment and providing lightweight cleaning supplies, including a vacuum and mop, so he could better maintain things on his own.
With a clutter-free home, the eviction notices stopped, and he was able to move around his own space. The landlord was now able to enter the apartment and perform needed maintenance to the appliances, flooring and lighting.
“I finally had room to breathe. I couldn’t go on my balcony because I had bikes stored there,” he recalls. “Now I can go out and I’m looking forward to getting my new walker so I can stand there.”
With the major housekeeping work complete, ESP arranged to have an aide visit Leamul three hours each week to stay on top of things and help with laundry and cleaning he is unable to do on his own. He also began receiving home-delivered meals, checking another item off his list of needs.
The architect behind this transformation was Leamul’s ESP care manager, Hannah, or ‘Hannah-Hannah-BoBanna,’ as he calls her. “She’s been a great help. She came in, assessed the problem, and then did what was needed. She deserves a raise.”
Because of ESP’s support, his four children and two grandchildren can visit. His granddaughter especially enjoys cuddling on his lap. “That’s worth living for,” he says with a smile.
“Now, ESP is constantly with me, so I can function like I’m supposed to.”
(Story from 2023 Butler County ESP Annual Report)
When Leamul was in the workforce, he was a hardworking semi-truck driver. Then the change came. An accident left him with injuries that confined him to an electric wheelchair.
Bills piled up. Clutter took over his Middletown apartment. His landlord threatened eviction. There wasn’t room to maneuver his wheelchair, and many days he could only remain in the corner. Because his home was unclean, he was not able to get a home care provider and his family didn’t want to visit.
As if this weren’t difficult enough, food insecurity was a daily part of Leamul’s life.
Leamul needed help and he found it in the Elderly Services Program – one step at a time.
First, ESP performed a major household cleaning, purging much of the clutter in his apartment and providing lightweight cleaning supplies, including a vacuum and mop, so he could better maintain things on his own.
With a clutter-free home, the eviction notices stopped, and he was able to move around his own space. The landlord was now able to enter the apartment and perform needed maintenance to the appliances, flooring and lighting.
“I finally had room to breathe. I couldn’t go on my balcony because I had bikes stored there,” he recalls. “Now I can go out and I’m looking forward to getting my new walker so I can stand there.”
With the major housekeeping work complete, ESP arranged to have an aide visit Leamul three hours each week to stay on top of things and help with laundry and cleaning he is unable to do on his own. He also began receiving home-delivered meals, checking another item off his list of needs.
The architect behind this transformation was Leamul’s ESP care manager, Hannah, or ‘Hannah-Hannah-BoBanna,’ as he calls her. “She’s been a great help. She came in, assessed the problem, and then did what was needed. She deserves a raise.”
Because of ESP’s support, his four children and two grandchildren can visit. His granddaughter especially enjoys cuddling on his lap. “That’s worth living for,” he says with a smile.
“Now, ESP is constantly with me, so I can function like I’m supposed to.”
(Story from 2023 Butler County ESP Annual Report)
