by Rita Campmier, RN, CMC, Care Manager, Great Neck

In December, Horace ("Hal") Carpenter celebrated his 107th birthday. Hal is warm, engaging and enjoys a good conversation. An avid New York Mets fan, he listens to baseball games on the radio and occasionally roots for the Yankees, too.

Until August 2008, Hal lived alone in his Manhasset home. His son Richard assisted him with grocery shopping, cooking, housekeeping and trips to the beach every Monday during the summer for “Senior Funday.” Hal enjoyed lunching on hot dogs, listening to music and dancing with friends. By the end of summer 2008, he suddenly developed “terrific” pain in his legs and had difficulty walking. Richard took over caring for Hal and moved into his home temporarily. Richard had heard about SeniorBridge from his father’s physician, and after placing a call, arranged for a care manager to meet with his father and him. Richard realized that he would not be able to leave his father’s home unless assistance was in place.

The SeniorBridge Care Manager met with the Carpenters, who, being quite organized, already had a good system in place. They had originally requested a caregiver for 5 days each week, 8 hours per day, but when the Care Manager expressed concern about Hal being alone at night and suggested they try a live-in caregiver, the father and son readily agreed. Caregiver TaraMansaram was introduced to Hal and his son and it was an immediate, perfect match! Hal remarked, “Tara and I are good together.” Tara agreed, saying, “Hal is such a great guy; I’m so glad we work together!”

The SeniorBridge Care Manager also worked alongside a homecare nurse from one of the local certified home health agencies. Hal’s pain began to subside; slowly but steadily, he gained strength and increased mobility. His needs for safety, assistance with meals, skin care, as well as companionship, encouragement and TLC were met.

Today, Hal continues to reside at home with the care and support he needs from both his family and SeniorBridge. This past summer, he, Richard and Tara enjoyed some "Fundays" and hot dogs at the beach. He cheered the New York Yankees on to a World Series victory (as for the Mets, there’s always next year…), and he looks forward to continuing the celebration of his 107th year!