LaJune will usually greet our team at the door with a grandchild in tow, having raised several grandchildren and currently looking after a three-year-old. She retired a decade ago from a job she loved, in a setting with respected colleagues at the Department of Revenue.
Assessing LaJune’s Needs
Our Age Well at Home team conducted an intake interview with LaJune to assess her needs. She has invested a significant amount of time and resources in her home and wishes to remain there as long as she can to care for her grandchildren.
Significant health concerns, however, present a challenge for her. She has poor balance due to weakness in her legs, significant back and knee pain, and she receives treatment for asthma and high blood pressure. LaJune shared that she wrestles with anxiety, and that COVID presented additional barriers in her ability to access the services she needs to maintain her home and her health.
An on-site visit identified a list of possible modifications, which LaJune ranked in order of importance to her. Due to the care she provides for her grandchildren, she spends a lot of time in her laundry room using the sink and appliances multiple times each week. She chose to address:
- A leak in the walls into her basement that resulted in puddles on the floor of her laundry room
- A non-functioning dryer vent
- A broken and deteriorating laundry sink
- A need for a grab bar outside her shower door
Guided by this list, our team installed the grab bar and contracted with a plumber to identify the source of her leaking wall. The plumber repaired the dryer vent and overhauled the rotting laundry sink.
“I hope you can help a lot more seniors like me”
“I feel more confident and safer in my home after the work that your Age Well at Home team did,” she said, “and I hope you can help a lot more seniors like me stay in our homes as long as we possibly can.”