09-24-1984 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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WESTONKA COUNSELING FOR OLDER ADULTS (WCOA) EXAMPLES Elsa, age 87, was refe-red to Westonka Counseling for Older Adults (WCOA) by United Way's First Call for Help. She was recently discharged from the hospital to her own home, and is still recovering from a broken hip. She is a bright woman with many interests, but lately she has bLen extremely lonely. Besides having difficulty accepting that she must sit :Host of the day, Elsa also worries about her only son, who is in a state hospital for mental illness. Her son is the only family she has, and he has been abusive to her in the past. After an initial interview and assessment, a Westonka Counseling staff member helped Elsa get a home health aide two hours a day. The aide helps her with a bath, breakfast, and household chores, and leaves Elsa a simple supper that she ran have in the evening. WCOA arranged for Elsa to receive lunch from the local Meals on Wheels program. She was also put on the Lifeline system --in case of emergency, Elsa only needs to press a button to alert a neighbor that she needs help. Margaret, a WCOA Peer Counselor, visits regularly to help Elsa sort out her feelings about her son and to support her decision not to have him return to live with her. WCOA has also connected Elsa with the Share -A -Home project, which will try to match her with a helpful roomer. Elsa is now happy at home, doing jigsaw puzzles and reading. She feels safer and not so alone. Frank, age 70, was referred to Westonka Counseling by his local Senior Center Coordinator. Frank's wife had died and he had lost interest in his former activities. Other seniors noticed that he had lost weight and was not taking care of himself. In addition, Frank was overwhelmed by the task of figuring out the medical bills and insurance forms from his wife's illness. A WCOA counselor is now helping Frank with his depres- sion and grief. WCOA also helped him sort through the mound of medical bills, fill out the insurance forms, and aet up a system for paying his bills. Frank :s feeling encouraged and more hopeful about his life. He now engages in some of his previous activities, including dining at the Senior Center at noon, where he meets his friends while getting a well- balanced meal. Frank i3 also attending the Men's Support Group sponsored by WCOA.