Home Care Help

She's 88 years old and getting a little frail. She could use some help around her apartment and Medicaid provides home health care attendants. But just try and navigate the Medicaid maze. A nurse, with her own coverage for 45 years, Catherine never needed to apply before. She was so exhausted from trying to sort it all out, she reached out to Help Me Howard.

Catherine Gholson's life's work was taking care of other people. Now she needs someone to help take care of her.

"I was a nurse," said Catherine. "I was an RN. I paid taxes for 60 years right here in Brooklyn and I shouldn't have to go thru this just to get the little help I need."

It's not like she's not used to working hard for what she needs. She was a nurse for 45 years.
"I was an LPN, and went to school at night to became an RN. I went to school at night and got my bachelor's. I went to school at night for the masters." Eventually she retired.

But at 88 years old, Catherine's slowing down. She's has congestive heart failure, a pacemaker and problems with a sciatic nerve and her hip. It's making it hard to get around to do what she always used to do for herself.

"I can do my personal care," she said, "I can go in the kitchen and sit down. I can cook if somebody hands me the stuff. I can't do the shopping, I can't do the laundry, I get short of breath."

Catherine needed someone who could do some of those things for her.

"I'm not asking a lot," she said, "and I was 22 years retired before I asked for anything. Money runs out," she continued. "Whatever you had saved, if you live long enough, if you're retired long enough, it runs out."

There is a system set up to help. It's the Medicaid system, and it can provide people like Catherine with a home health care aide. It's based on need and many other requirements, and Catherine found the process of applying bewildering and exasperating.

"They ask you a lot of personal questions," she said. "You get on it and they go some place and do something and tell you they'll be back to you and they don't get back to you for two to three months."

She persisted. "I called and called and called, I called everybody I could think of calling, and finally after three months they started sending me social workers. Three different social workers came," she said. "Each one asked the same questions, each one asked for the same documents."

Even though she didn't know it at the time, that's all part of the process. Applying for Medicaid is not for the faint of heart.

Here are the steps. First your doctor has to document you need it. You have to fill out an extensive application. They have to determine you're eligible. A nurse visits you in your home. A caseworker makes a home visit. Every year you have to get recertified. And all this can take several months.

"I don't know why it should be so difficult for them," sighed Catherine.

But it was worth it. We were able to reassure her she would be getting the help she needs.
A home health care attendant started within days of our meeting her. They'll be there four hours a day, seven days a week.

Catherine can take a break now. She can rest and read her scriptures.

Our calls to the Human Resources Administration just confirmed they'd been working very hard on her behalf. All those steps over all those months, were necessary to get her exactly the care she needs.