My friend Margaret (not her real name) is here today. Two weeks ago she applied for membership by having a Wellness Consultation. Misty, our Wellness Consultant, who is a licensed registered nurse, met Margaret in her home and asked her many social and health related questions, and took vital signs, and asked for her signature on a form that allows us to obtain Margaret’s medical records. We received her medical records at the beginning of last week, and Misty has been busy putting together Margaret’s Wellness Map. Margaret has not yet joined the club at this point. When the Wellness Map is finished, Margaret and I will have a meeting to go over the Essentials of the Journey section of the Map. The Essentials includes legal and financial pieces (some are needed for everyone and some are specific for the club) so we can help people age well.

Margaret is our poster child for what we are about, because Margaret is still driving, is still able to go and do, but she is 85 and knows anything can happen at anytime. She has enjoyed coming here as a volunteer and joining in on the activities, guest speakers, and exercises, and since she has no family close by to check on her regularly, she wants to join the club to have someone to ‘watch her medical back’ so to speak. If Margaret joins the club and comes regularly, on a schedule, and does not show up one day when we are expecting her, we will call her to make sure she is okay.

Margaret lives alone, in a paid-for home, but has very limited resources. She is barely able to pay her bills and buy food. She is a savvy shopper, and does not take charity from anyone. Like many of her generation, she does not like to accept help from anyone, including the government.

So how is Margaret going to pay for her time here at the club? Medicaid will pay for it, if Margaret is willing to go through the Medicaid Home and Community Based Waiver Program application process. They will tell her that she is welcome to continue living in her own home, and that upon her death, her home will be sold and the proceeds will be returned to Medicaid to pay back some of the money that the program spent on her behalf. There is even a program to reimburse her food costs that is from the federal government and administrated by the state. Margaret has her heart set on giving her home to her daughter, and for that reason and because she does not like charity, she may decide not to come to become a member.

If Margaret does not become a member, the staff will not get to know her very well, so they won’t notice when she starts behaving differently, and therefore they won’t investigate to determine if she has a urinary tract infection or some other problem. And she will miss out on the regularly scheduled tests and screenings that the club offers, and her health may decline because of undetected problems like high blood sugar or low potassium. She will not benefit from the exercise sessions and the club meetings that help to keep our members sharp and fit.

And if Margaret does not accept Medicaid monies and falls at home, no one will know to help her (since she has not been coming to the club, no one will check on her). Or if she begins to show alarming signs of dementia, (which may lead to an accident like a fire in her home from a burner left on, a car accident or any number of mishaps that can happen when one has dementia) no one will know about it in time to save her from suffering.

I hope Margaret decides to take care of her own needs and apply for Medicaid and leave her furnishings and other special gifts to her daughter instead of her house. If she doesn’t, and a serious mishap happens that renders her bedridden, she could find herself in a nursing home. That would break my heart. She would still have to go on Medicaid, and they would still take her house—-as soon as she enters the nursing home. And the nursing home will cost the government a lot more than membership here at the club.

May God bless you and yours this coming week.