"This is the best thing we could have done to enable my mother to keep her independence and enjoy her golden years."

My mother is 93 years old and has been a Medicaid recipient for a number of years. In April 2004, she enrolled in the Evercare Home & Health Connection™, Nursing Home Diversion Medicaid Waiver Program (a Medicaid product) in lieu of regular Florida Medicaid. It has really been a great help to us.

Evercare has provided her with many services over and above what regular Medicaid provided. In addition to covering medical services and medicines, other things such as personal products, in home care and many other things to help make living a little easier have been provided. In addition, she has been able to keep all her doctors and choose all her medical services just as before.

The home care she receives has been great. A Certified Nursing Assistant has been provided to her home to help her with daily living, personal hygiene and light housework. This has been such a help to me.

All the services that I have mentioned have come to us at no additional charge. It has been a big help to my family and has enabled my mother to remain in her own home, enjoy her life the way she wants, and not have to go into an Assisted Living Facility.

As far as my family is concerned, this is the best thing we could have done to enable my mother to keep her independence and enjoy her golden years.

• Sandy P. (daughter of Evercare enrollee Elsie R., Evercare Home & Health Connection member) [ close ]

"I believe our mom got to live a longer, healthier life than she would have without Evercare."

Debi: Evercare's model is unique because they have this nurse practitioner who knows your family member, as if they're the physician. It's not only a good model for old age, but for all ages.

Soni: Evercare changed everything. We got more time with our mom, and we got our lives back. Our nurse practitioner became an extra family member when we needed one most. She coordinated our mother's care, including a lot of the paperwork and doctor visits and really communicated with us about what was going on with her from a true medical perspective.

Debi: She gave us the medical and technical support, so we could be there with the emotional support and really enjoy being with our mom again. And she knows her stuff. She's got great people skills. She was so good with us and Mom when we needed to make those critical decisions, especially at the end. She was so good at listening to what we were saying and listening to mom and helping coordinate that and relaying that to the doctor. And that's key. Because you get so caught in are we doing everything for our elder, is it time to let them go. Those are major decisions. You can push-push-push and you can continue to push, but you come to a point where you say is this the right decision. And then she helped us look at that quality of life issues. So important. As the caretaker you can't have a quality of life either unless you know that your elder is having a good situation.

I believe our mom got to live a longer, healthier life than she would have without Evercare. We wished we knew about it so much sooner.

• Soni S. & Debi Y., daughters of an enrollee in Evercare health plan for people with Medicare (Plan H) [ close ]

"My care is fantastic. I would be lost without it."

My Medicaid HMO (Evercare At Home) made it possible for me to get my medication, which has been a big problem in the past. I am diabetic; I suffer from hypertension, heart problems, acid reflux, and I have a hiatal hernia. Currently I take 11 pills a day, which includes Enbrel, which is a very costly drug, to help my psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis.

Next they installed grab bars in my bathroom, a handheld shower, and provided me with a shower chair, which was a huge help when bathing. Evercare put me on a food program, which provides me with diabetic prepared meals, milk, juice and dessert. I also receive OTC medicines such as aspirin, stool softener and vitamins. I receive cardiac rehabilitation. I receive transportation to the seven doctors I am currently seeing, transportation to go to the lab, breast exams, knee rehab. Also included were eyeglasses.

As you can see my care is fantastic. I would be lost without it. This program is a must for low-income seniors.

• Margaret L., Evercare At Home Member [ close ]

"This is someone that I can rely on and that feels genuinely concerned for my mother."

I moved from Rochester NY in June of 1999 to care for my ailing mother, and I was not prepared for the task ahead of me. I was overwhelmed with what had to be done in comparison to what I was equipped to do.

Financially, with what my mother receives from Social Security, I would be not be able to give her what she needs, if I did not receive the extra services through Evercare Health and Home Connection. My mother's Clinical care manager gives her continuing support to me while I care for my mom. She coordinates my mother's home care each day in her home and assistance with a bath. If the Clinical care manager cannot answer a question, she always gets back the information to me promptly.

This is someone that I can rely on and that feels genuinely concerned for my mother. My mother's well-being is this Clinical care manager's top priority. Health and Home Connection has allowed me to keep my mother at home, and have a few hours a week where I may have a break, so that I am not overwhelmed and burned out.

My mother doesn't belong in a nursing home yet. Evercare Health and Home Connection allows my mother to receive care that keeps her at home at no cost to her or my family.

• Evola F., daughter of Rosa W, an enrollee in Evercare Home and Health Connection. [ close ]

"The peace of mind I've gained is incredible."

It's very scary to suddenly be accountable for your parent's entire life. It's overwhelming: you have so many questions and feel so lost. That's why I was so relieved when I found Evercare.

My father has diabetes, poor vision and is unsteady and unable to drive because he's lost most of the feeling in his feet. Then, he took a bad fall and broke his hip, which meant he needed immediate hospitalization and rehabilitative care.

It was nearly impossible to make all the arrangements long-distance. I didn't know where to turn for suggestions about residential care and rehabilitation centers, how to get him help at home or how to find a good assisted living facility.

Within two days, Evercare completed an evaluation of my dad's personal and health needs, and developed a plan suggesting several options for his short- and long-term care. They gave me recommendations for local assisted living and nursing home facilities, advised me on his overall health condition and really became my personal guide to help navigate the system.

Peggy [her father's Care Advocate] has been fantastic, in every way. She has been incredibly supportive during a really difficult and emotional time, helping us as a family make informed decisions. She has been a great representative for me, working with the medical staff to ensure my dad got the care he needed.

I just can't say enough about Evercare and the resources they provide. I can't imagine having to do this alone, without the help of an expert like Peggy. The peace of mind I've gained is incredible, and it's so comforting to know I have Peggy in my corner. I would highly, highly recommend Evercare to others facing this kind of situation. Evercare has so much to offer, and I'm so glad I have their help.

• Jan K. At the time of this story, Jan K. was an enrollee of Evercare Connections. This program is now called Evercare™ Solutions For Caregivers. [ close ]

"Nothing had prepared me for this."

Like most new retirees, I looked forward to spending my "golden years" with my spouse. But just after I retired, my husband Jack developed a pain in his side and had to be rushed to the emergency room. That was the beginning of a long, slow decline in Jack's health and my new role as a caregiver.

Doctors diagnosed Jack with a urinary condition and coronary artery disease. After recovering from open-heart surgery, he continued to suffer with health problems. His urinary condition required the insertion of a catheter and I provided increasingly more care for him.

At first, I was able to keep up with the demands of caring for Jack. But as he realized he would not be able live without the catheter, he began to lose hope. He entered a deep depression and eventually lost his cognitive abilities. I was now solely responsible for keeping Jack safe and alive. Nothing had prepared me for this. The stress and fear were so overwhelming that one evening, after another trip to the emergency room, I passed out three times.

That's when I knew I needed help. Fortunately, my health care coverage plan, Secure Horizons Medicare Advantage from PacifiCare, included a program called A Solution for Caregivers. This program linked me with a Professional Care Manager who recommended resources and gave me advice on coping with the stress of being a caregiver. I believe what I learned from her and through my own experience can help other caregivers:

Plan ahead. Learn about available resources before you need them.

• Be sure to build and maintain a solid support network. Call on family members whenever you can. I also reached out to my girlfriends, who always cheered me up and helped me on my darkest days.
• Do not neglect your own health. It's easy to think you don't have time to get a physical or eat properly. But if you are not around for your loved one, who will be?
• Do something for yourself every day. Take a bath, listen to your favorite CD - something just for you.

My husband passed away in April 2004. I know in my heart I did everything I could for him, and that has helped me immensely in dealing with his passing.

• Barbara R. is a SecureHorizons® plan member who accessed a program now called Evercare™ Solutions For Caregivers. [ close ]