Kymberlie Embraces a Fresh Start with Home Health Care

Although Kymberlie has her health on the right track, staying med-compliant has always been a significant challenge.

“I have been dealing with mental health issues for so long,” Kymberlie said. “I was in and out of psychiatric units, in and out of Diane Ahrens, which is a mental health re-stabilization facility. I just had a really hard time staying compliant.”

Kymberlie is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and experiences severe anxiety and depression. For a while, Kymberlie lived a life that she described as ‘unstable.’ She battled drug addiction for over a decade, which contributed to her mental health instability.

Kymberlie is also diagnosed with Lupus, an autoimmune disease that occurs when the immune system attacks its own tissues instead of fighting off an infection. Women between the ages of 15-45 are nine times more likely to develop Lupus, which affects the skin, joints, heart, lungs, kidneys, circulating blood cells and brain. The disease comes and goes in ‘flare-ups,” which are unpredictable, causing pain and inflammation throughout the body.

“I love the nurses, I love the care, I love that I can get a hold of someone pretty much immediately if I need them.”

Kymberlie

“I have a lot of pain and really bad arthritis because of it. I’m also in a wheelchair, so there’s a lot going on with me health-wise,” Kymberlie said. “I almost never get two days in a row that are the same, and it varies mostly depending on my pain level. On good days, I’m walking around the house, I’m playing with my dog, I’m in a pretty good mood. The flip side of that is I’m in so much pain that I can barely move. I never know what the day will be like.”

Though her diseases and addiction wanted to keep her down, Kymberlie sought a way to push forward and get the support she needed.

Connecting with Her Caregivers

About five years ago, a friend referred Kymberlie to Accra, and she started receiving Home Health Care services, which can span professional nursing, home health aide, homemaker and rehabilitation services. Accra primarily provides Home Health Care services to people requiring continuing care for chronic needs.

“At the time my friend recommended Accra, I had my own workers, so it was very easy to get them hired at Accra, and I had all my services through Accra,” Kymberlie said. “There are two nurses that I made the biggest connection with. My mental health sometimes gives me issues connecting with people, but with those two in particular, it was very easy for me.”

Kymberlie’s caregivers help her every day with a variety of daily living activities, from grooming to meal prep. They inspect any wounds or sores that are common with Lupus and set up her medications for the week. She also has a homemaker who comes in three days a week to help with cleaning around her apartment.

Kymberlie also previously received Individualized Home Supports (IHS) Without Training, which is part of the 245D Waivered Services program. IHS Without Training provides support and assistance to adults or children who live in their own homes. A staff person provides direct supervision, cueing, guidance, instruction, assistance with activities of daily living, or help coordinating and attending community living activities. IHS services can be provided in the person’s own home or community.

“I love the nurses, I love the care, I love that I can get a hold of someone pretty much immediately if I need them,” Kymberlie said. “Nothing but positive experiences with Accra.”

Rebuilding Relationships

In addition to providing Kymberlie with a strong support team at home, Accra was instrumental in facilitating her transition out of addiction.

“When I started with Accra, I was newly clean,” Kymberlie said. “It was a struggle for me to learn my triggers and avoid them, and their staff was very good at helping with that. They told me things I would not have thought of that helped me stay clean.”

Due to her addiction, Kymberlie lost out on many of life’s joys, including raising her son Joel, who is now 29.

“I missed out on a lot of his developing years because of my addiction,” Kymberlie said. “We lost his brother Isaiah to murder, and I promised him over his memorial that I would never go back, and I haven’t. I have been clean since then.”

Since getting clean, Kymberlie has rekindled her relationship with Joel, and the two of them are quite close now.

“Considering all the time that I missed with him, I feel like Joel and I have a very good relationship,” Kymberlie said.

All in all, Kymberlie now balances a much steadier life than she had five years ago.

“My mental health is better under control. Instead of having to deal with crisis after crisis after crisis, I am now able to start looking at some of the issues and work on ways to minimize their effect,” Kymberlie said. “Accra is willing to do whatever needs to be done to get me what I need and keep me on the right path.”