Lakewood at Home Welcomes Its 100th Member

On June 1, just 27 months after launching the program, the Lakewood at Home team welcomed its 99th and 100th members. Lakewood at Home’s Executive Director Tammy Mackey said the milestone is an accomplishment that brings excitement and satisfaction as goals are reached and surpassed.

“We were confident from our launch that the Lakewood at Home program would reach this level, but based on the startup experience of other programs around the nation and our actuarial budget, it was anticipated that it would take at least four years to achieve this goal,” Mackey said. “Gratitude is the overwhelming feeling that I have at this point.”

It is that same gratitude that members of the program said they feel. Gary Grove said when he learned about Lakewood at Home he realized it was exactly what he was looking for.

“The primary reason I was interested is that I didn’t want either of my two daughters to have to hold my hand as I go through my declining years. I wanted the comfort and reassurance that I’d be cared for. I’ve got that. I’m just delighted and very comfortable with it,” he said.

Mackey said other members continually echo Grove’s sentiment: they are thankful for the peace of mind.

“They are thankful to have a plan in place. They are relieved that they will not have to worry about being a burden to their family and friends. They don’t have to wonder about where they may end up if they need skilled nursing care. They are thankful that a devastating stroke or a decade of Alzheimer’s won’t cause them to spend down all of the hard-earned assets they hoped to bequeath to their children and grandchildren,” she said. “With a phone call or text, our members can get in touch with their personal care coordinator and have the advocacy, support, knowledge and resources of our program available to them.”

The success of the program is directly related to the comprehensive and innovative nature of the program itself. While Mackey said it has a wonderful team who contributes daily in critical ways, the program is successful because it offers people what they were looking for, but in many cases didn’t even know existed.

Research has shown that most older adults prefer to stay at home and age in place. Research has also shown that most older adults will need some type of long-term care as they age. Lakewood at Home is a program that allows members to stay at home, know that they will have quality care provided to them if and when they need it and have financial protection against the rising costs of long-term care whether at home or in a long-term care community.

“Having my kids here is helpful, but they have their things to do too. My comfort is if I need something, I can call and my daughters don’t have to be running by to take care of me,” said Grove. “How quick the response, how efficient, marvelous contractors: Lakewood at Home is everything I expected it to be but I didn’t expect to need.”