Charlie's story
August 12, 2021
Living Well at Home
Health news, stories of care, and other information to help you live safely and independently at home
When he first joined CCA, Charlie avoided home visits from his health outreach worker out of embarrassment.
CCA Senior Care Options member Charlie has struggled with hoarding his entire life. He was often embarrassed to receive home visits because they were disruptive, and he felt judged. In the past, home visits also meant that he was being evicted or he had to go to court. When he first joined CCA, Charlie avoided home visits for as long as he could out of fear that something bad would happen.
CCA partnered Charlie with Marybel, a health outreach worker (HOW) who helps him access community resources. Charlie and Marybel got to know each other over the course of several telephone calls, and Charlie realized that Marybel genuinely cared about him.
He started to feel better about speaking with Marybel as time went on.
Marybel provided Charlie with individualized attention to help meet his needs. As a HOW, Marybel provides members like Charlie with resources and emotional support, instead of doing the work for them. “We meet members where they are,” she says.
“We meet members where they are.”
Through working with Marybel, Charlie realized he wanted to give back to his community and become an advocate for older adults. He recently completed courses at a local community college to become a certified community health worker and is currently interning in the field.
