Well now

No Slime Today

Aren't you relieved?

I believe this is a purple finch. Hubby has been spotting them and I am usually too late with the camera to catch them.

Catching it in flight was completely an accident.
 

Most of the afternoon I hung out on the porch and did weeding and watering those plants that don't get much moisture because they are so close to the porch that the eaves keep the rain off them.

I was awaiting a return phone call after being shuffled around by the VA Community Care People. 30 minutes after being transferred 3 times, I got voice mail.

Community Care is sometimes frustrating. Communications between a non VA provider and the VA itself is tenuous a best. A medication was ordered for hubby two months ago. He still had a 'rescue' inhaler so it wasn't a vital medication.

However, the non VA provider followed her instructions that the VA provided and ordered the medication. It went 'somewhere'. I followed up by contacting several people and finally landed on a person who said she'd handle it.

That was 4 weeks ago. So I looked up hubby's info in MyChart and noted that the CC gal had called the local doctors office and gave the clinic the info for faxing or calling in meds.

The local doctor's office used HER name in ordering the medication. The VA pharmacy said no one by that name worked in that pharmacy. And that is where it was dropped.

So there was miscommunication between CC, the pharmacy, and the local doctor's nurse.

I need to draw them a chart on how to order meds, I think. 

Today I made more phone calls.

The solution was simple, whoever wrote down the fax number for sending in medications, wrote one digit off. A 1 instead of a 7. Or perhaps the handwriting was sloppy? Who knows?

Well now.

So it goes. 

Navigating Health care sure takes a good deal of effort on any person's part.

Crisis? What Crisis?

I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine who lives in the southern part of the US. [She lives alone with her 3 dogs. It was her love of her Dachshunds that actually brought us together.] 

What price do we pay in becoming elderly? What price did the Pandemic take on those folks who have health issues and have taken precautions since March 2020? 

If being elderly wasn't bad before hand, it certainly is more so now. Isolation is one part. Older people are shunned by younger folks. I was as guilty as the next guy. 

I started to understand how difficult it is for some to age in place when my MIL started to fail at recalling things and moving around. Her issues were mostly invisible until she had a fall.

I realized that my husband would not be able to be on his own if I were not here to take care of him. It is a sobering thought. If something happened to me, what would happen next? [Working on that.]

My friend in the south has no one. Her husband is gone, her son is gone, and her cousins she was close with are now gone too. She lives on her own and has dealt well with her health issues and is trying to keep up with life. She has no advocate to help her deal with working around her medical issues.

She has no one to help her deal with her insurance plan either. Sometimes the effort to work around the ins and outs of a medical plan is confusing and difficult. Reading an insurance plan is as clear as mud. 

Years ago, I thought I'd start a private business in just helping others with their insurance billings and resolving issues. What I discovered was dealing with my husband's health was a full time job. It taught me a lot about dealing with doctors, getting approvals, and dealing with medical billings.

Thank goodness I had a degree in Medical Billing and Coding [it is obsolete now since so many things have changed, however it gave me insight as to the difficulties doctors and clinics face too].

I would love to see insurance simplified, but I don't have the answers.

So how is a person who has an insurance plan from the state of Massachusetts get coverage in the southern US? The words 'out of network' pop up. What does that means to the patient? How can that patient find out? 

How does that person make an appointment in their local area to get treated for a pressing issue? Do they put it off because it is too complicated to get an answer? If they do, does that make their risk of a fall or risk of living independently so much worse? Where do they go for help?

I've found good help in working with ADRC who directed me to the county social worker for my MIL. That started the ball rolling that eventually helped with issues she had. I couldn't deal with all of her care at the time and deal with the care my husband needed too. 

My brother was extremely active in caring and assisting my father as he aged and did an incredible job at being his caregiver. 

People need advocates. Caregivers need breaks or they suffer horribly. Compassion Fatigue is real. 

Yet there is no obvious help unless a person digs for it.

Elder care is exhaustive and difficult. Here is long, but very good article here at Vox. The subject is not a popular subject and the discussion surrounding elderly care is an uncomfortable one for many people. 

So when my southern friend stopped talking to me on Sunday...and I could hear her crying I felt totally helpless. My heart strings broke. I was her weekly contact. She was lonely, she was

lonely...

And I could not fix it.

I did get her laughing before we signed off on our phone call and I asked her to please find out where the nearest senior center was to at least go and find some company. 

No person should suffer that loneliness. 

This crisis is growing. And I have no idea of how to fix it.

I've been told that I 'was' so 'lucky' to be able to quit work and stay home to care for my husband. 

Hmmm. But my thoughts on that are for another day.

Let us not forget how to care....

The Squeaky Wheel Gets The Grease -- or the Air Conditioner Saga

My mother in law purchased an air-conditioner from a local appliance store in town.  It stopped working and was covered by warranty.

A service person came and tried to fix it but said it had a bad part and the warranty from the store stated they'd give her a loaner meanwhile or replace it.

Two weeks have gone by and Mom in Law has had nothing but the run around, so I decided to check into it myself.

Here is how it happened:

Me. Walk into the store.

Manager Jason:  Can I help you?

Me:  Oh yes, I'm going to remodel my house and I want new appliances so I thought I'd do some local shopping.  You know, new stove, new fridge, new washer and dryer...oh and an airconditioner.

Jason [gets his large self puffed up]:  Well, we can help you with that!

Me [pull out a pad of paper]:  Good, I have some questions.  Do these come with warranties?

Jason:  Yes they do.  You can buy a 5 yr warranty too that covers these items head to toe.  [Big proud man thinks he's getting a huge sale.]

Me:  Really?  That is so great!  5 yrs!  I live out in the country and if something happens how long before a service person gets to my place?

Jason:  1 to 2 days and we get it taken care of.

Me:  Oh wow, that is fast!  Let me ask you another question.

Jason [Big smile]:  Yes, go ahead!

Me:  My mother in law purchased an air conditioner here, has your 5 yr warranty, it took 5 days for your service person to get there and it is now almost 2 weeks and she still doesn't have A/C!

Employees in the backround sneak to peek around the big appliances.  Hanging back but peeking anyway.

Jason [steps back looks around, sees this little whisp of a woman staring up at him ]:  Um, well, is this about the ---- place in Readstown?

Me:  As a matter of fact it is.  She is in her mid 80's and it is going to be hot this weekend, she has medical issues and frankly you folks have given her nothing but the run around.

I stand quietly while Jason mutters and sputters and then says:  Well, we had to call the manufacturer and get an okay...we are kinda busy and um,...

I put my hand up:  I'm not here for excuses on your end, is the warranty good?  She is getting a replacement today right?

Employees are now ducking in and out of my peripheral vision.  Jason is doing some funky little foot to foot dance in place.

Jason:  Well we just got her replacement this morning and my guys are going to take it to her.

Me:  Great, do you need me to follow you to Readstown to make sure you do it?

Employees are now stock still.  As is the customer he'd just been talking to that was leaving.

Jason:  Um, no.  Um, guys get that air conditioner loaded onto the truck...

I smile sweetly:  Let me see it.  I will follow it to the truck and call her after I'm done with errands to make sure everything is okay, right?

Jason [waves his arms at employees]:  Ah.  Well.

Me:  I am remodeling my house, but I don't think I'll be shopping here.  The GreyHaired Grapvine says your house calls are pitiful.  You should respect your elders.

Jason:  Well, we are kind of busy.

Me:  So you don't sell good products?

This floors him and he waves frantically at his employees to grab the A/C and get it into the truck so I will leave.

I turn to follow the employees:  By the way Jason, do you have a business card?

Jason is totally unerved by now.  And just shakes his head.

Me [Leaving the store]:  You all have a nice day. 

Mom in law is comfy with her new replacement.

Me?

I have the inner meanie is satisfied for the moment.

I was very happy being nice to a 6' 4" man who stand clearly over a foot taller than me and reducing him to squiggly melting jelly.

Crap, I had so much fun I should be an advocate for the GreyHaired Clan.