“My dad had an accident in the shower and was rushed to the hospital,” remembers Darrell Radin.
Once that happened, his dad, Ben, spent nearly 100 days in rehab. During that time, Darrell’s brother Larry came in from out of town to help him care for their father.
“I don’t think Larry really understood the day-to-day issues and how difficult it was for our father—and for me as a caretaker, to try to make the right decisions for him,” Darrell said.
Ben was living on the second floor of an apartment building, but after he came home from the rehabilitation facility, he was not able to make it up and down the stairs. At that point, Darrell and Larry knew they needed to do something, but they didn’t know what the next steps looked like.
That’s when Darrell picked up the phone and called AgeWell Cincinnati. June Ridgway, the director of the program, answered the phone. Darrell said her personal service and care set her apart.
“She followed up with everything we discussed,” he said. “June was always on top of it and called me back right away. I appreciated her care and her ability to work with me.”
June connected Darrell with a registered nurse and care manager from CareLink, a private pay geriatric care management practice administered by Jewish Family Service.
She helped give him and his brother the confidence they needed to make the right decision.
“It’s a difficult decision to move somebody out of their home,” said Darrell, “but she pointed out the benefits of moving forward with what would be the best solution to our problem. She was very straightforward about it, but at the same time sensitive.
“It’s a difficult decision to move somebody out of their home, but she pointed out the benefits of moving forward with what would be the best solution to our problem. She was very straightforward about it, but at the same time sensitive.”
AgeWell Cincinnati was launched in October 2017, but Darrell says it is still relatively unknown.
“I’m not sure if enough of the Jewish community knows about it and its benefits.” For his part, Darrell is doing what he can by connecting his friends with the agency.
“My friend was having some difficulty with her living conditions, and June was able to connect her with some services in the community. My friend was thrilled; it was very helpful.”
Through AgeWell Cincinnati, older adults can be connected to more than 60 resources, offered by its providers. Its top requested services include care management, home care assistance, counseling, and transportation.
“It’s a program that eliminates obstacles to caring for a family member or loved one. The experience was well worth the effort to make that one the phone call.”