Quotes from clients:

“Project LIVELY helped me maintain my independence.”

“I didn’t know who else to turn to and felt lost and overwhelmed. Project LIVELY helped me tremendously. Their help gave me the desire to go on with my life.”

“I had bills mounting, I was going to lose my home and I couldn’t afford my medications. I didn’t know who could help. Project LIVELY helped me find the services to help me with all these problems. Without them, I don’t know what I would have done.”


SUPPORTING THE SENIOR, SUPPORTING THE CAREGIVER

When her mother’s health declined suddenly after entering a nursing home, Sally Burger knew she had to do something.
Her mother, Eleanor Burden, who was admitted after a fall, lived at the home for a year.
“That was about six months longer than I felt comfortable with,” Sally says.
After making the decision to care for her mother, no one thought the Burgers could handle Eleanor’s care. But they have – for the past five years.
Sally says her mother’s health and quality of life improved dramatically once she and her husband, Doug, became Eleanor’s caregivers. Since then, the family hasn’t looked back. 
“I used to have to take Mom to the doctor every three months,” Sally says. “When she first moved here, I think she was on 10 medications, morning and night. And I think I’ve got her down to about four now.”
Project LIVELY, a care management program, not only helps seniors over 60 maintain their independence to remain in their homes, but also supports caregivers. The program’s social workers connected the family to resources, such as a physical therapy program and home health agencies that helped the Burgers convert their split-level ranch home into a place comfortable for a disabled person.
Eleanor’s bedroom looks nothing like a hospital room, with a cozy floral quilt on the bed, lace curtains and family photos surrounding her.
“Whenever Sally’s had a question, Project LIVELY’s always been there with ideas, with suggestions, with answers and even more important, just the friendship,” Doug says.

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New Shoes for Dorothy

Dorothy was a retired 75-year-old Lawrence resident financially struggling to make ends meet. She was diagnosed with cancer — and after her diagnosis, her supplemental insurance premiums increased. Dorothy was already on Medicare. However, the monthly premiums, deductibles and co-pays were too much for her to pay.

Dorothy came to Project LIVELY for help. Project LIVELY helped her find a better supplemental insurance plan. They also assisted her in completing applications for state programs she qualified for. She would have never known about these options had she not come to Project LIVELY. With the new plan, her insurance costs decreased by more than 50 percent.

Switching insurance plans meant Dorothy’s income exceeded her expenses. This came as a relief for her after struggling for so long. An avid walker in downtown Lawrence, Dorothy had been walking in old shoes that had holes in them. She could finally buy herself a new pair of walking shoes. Just the simple act of being able to buy a pair of shoes was overwhelming for her.  For the first time, Dorothy realized there were people in the community who could help in her time of need.

A Project LIVELY student intern’s story

I remember the second time I visited Richard because speaking with him that day solidified the importance and usefulness of the Strengths Based Practice method I have learned in my social work studies. During my assessment, I quickly learned of all the hardships Richard had been through. Despite losing the ability to walk and suffering from Parkinson’s disease, he still had an amazing love for life and education.

Richard talked about his desire from a young age to go to college and play football. He spoke of his memory as a high school student when he was told that his developmental disability caused him to read at a fifth-grade level.
Richard was told he should seek a career in the service industry, because it was thought by some that this type of employment would be the most rewarding for him. He proved them wrong.

Richard graduated from the University of Kansas in 1962 with a degree in Human Physiology, where he played football for the Jayhawks. He then went on to teach both biology and human physiology, sell pharmaceuticals, become the sales manager of a radio station, hold the vice president position of a large environmental engineering firm and be the president of an advertising agency. Richard currently has aspirations of becoming a published author and is working on a book that entitled, “The Power Of The Spoken Word.”

Together, we located services to help him organize his finances and pay his bills, obtain advice regarding his medical insurance and taxes, utilize public transportation, obtain durable medical equipment and enroll in a class to enhance his driving skills. Richard and I will be discussing options for physical and occupational therapy in the future because he desperately wants to walk again. Walking will help improve Richard’s quality of life, increase his independence and serve as the ending of his inspirational book.

Despite Richard’s complex and challenging life, he said he could not have done it without a strong mind from God. Now that Richard has retired, he jokes that a career in the service industry may have been easier and less stressful after all.

Rebecca Holmes
Project LIVELY Intern (now a Project LIVELY care manager)
Richard Green is a new client in the Project LIVELY program.