For Kay Peele, there’s no place like home. In fact, it was right around the time she was preparing to move into a new apartment home that she fell ill, and after a brief hospital stay found herself in a nursing home for rehabilitation.  Five months passed and the community supports Kay had been receiving – critical to helping her live at home – lapsed.  She was facing a year-long wait to receive those services again and a very real fear crept into her mind, “I’m never going to make it home…”

Fortunately for Kay, there was light at the end of the tunnel through a special program that helps people living in nursing homes return home.  Administered by the State Division of Medical Assistance, the program focuses on Medicaid-eligible individuals and provides a specialist that works directly with them and their support team to coordinate family and community supports that will allow them to get the care they need, in the comfort of their own home.

For Kay, who was at risk of losing her apartment and facing a year-long wait to receive supportive services such as help with preparing meals, taking baths, and getting dressed, this program meant she was able to leave the nursing home quickly, keep her apartment, and access the services and supports critical to keeping her at home.  She and her family were hopeful and excited as the Senior Services Living -at- Home staff helped them complete a program application.

Having the proper equipment in place to safely and successfully move back home can be a stressful and often expensive challenge for families.  Kay was in need of furniture, a washer and dryer, and basic household items to help her return home. Fortunately, the program provides a small stipend to help with these and other transition expenses – freeing her family to focus on the important task of bringing her home.

Today, Kay is happily living at home and enjoys a strong support system in her family and care team.  Community services are in place to help her maintain her health and well-being and it was made possible by the transition program. She is pictured here with her aide, Joy Hagwood. Now, thanks to a grant award from the Division of Medical Assistance, Senior Services can help make this a reality for many more in the community. We are one of two programs statewide to have recently been awarded a grant to help people living in a nursing home return home. The award will allow Senior Services to coordinate these efforts across a six-county area covering Forsyth, Davidson, Davie, Stokes, Yadkin, and Surry counties. For more information, please contact Angie Wall, VP of Living-at-Home at 336-721-6943.