Just like his mother, Patty, Timothy was born and raised in Philadelphia. Almost a decade ago he married, relocated to the west coast for work, and started a family of his own. An only child, Timothy called his mother every weekend to share updates, check in, and give her and the boys quality “face time”. In recent years, after the passing of Timothy’s father, Patty had flown out and stayed with him and his family for the winter holidays. She felt adamant, though, about remaining in her own home and community of Philadelphia. She and her grandsons joked that she’s a grandmama bear who prefers the cold of the Northeast. To that, Timothy would respond that the Pacific Northwest has bears too, and they look plenty happy to live there! Her move wasn’t urgent so Timothy continued to concede to his mother’s wishes.
Making sure Patty was cared for despite their physical distance was Timothy’s priority, especially as she lived alone. However, the 3-hour time difference was becoming more and more difficult to work with, and Timothy noticed he was taking on more aspects of her care. While school shopping for the boys, Timothy got a call from her neighbor telling him that Patty had fallen in the yard earlier that day. She was thankfully okay, but Timothy was shaken up and couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless. He thought of how much peace it would bring for them to live closer again. Timothy called his mother to convince her once and for all to move out west so he could care for her. While Patty was a bit miffed that the neighbor called him, because she didn’t want to worry him, she wished harder than ever before that there was less distance between them. In the end, Patty agreed to move out west, under the condition that she could still live on her own. Timothy was relieved and told his momma bear she could have whatever she wanted!
All of this was much easier said than done, he quickly realized. How was he going to move his mom out, find her a place of her own, find local in-network providers for her appointments, and coordinate upkeep of the Philadelphia house in her absence, all while helping his boys get ready for the new school year and continue working full-time? It would certainly take time, even with his wife’s help with the many details.
That’s when Timothy talked to a friend and learned about care management. Everything suddenly seemed doable, as he contacted a local care manager and she told him that she had a contact to also help on the Philadelphia side of things. They could coordinate a plan to present to him and Patty to ease the transition. The Philadelphia care management team would help arrange moving services and coordinate records transfers to her new medical team and then after she was moved the local care manager could help locate a good apartment for her, then continue to stop by and check in on Patty and help her coordinate and attend appointments. The team coordination was a great relief to the whole family and made the transition a smooth one. When the holidays rolled around, picking his mom up from the airport brought Timothy the best feeling of peace. He knew that she’d now be a few minutes away for years and years to come.
If you or someone in your family are facing aging challenges, please give us a call at 610-667-2838 or email us at CareManagement@waverlyheights.org. We’ll be happy to assist!
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