Papa is best known for providing companionship to older adults, but we also support individuals with higher needs, like those with chronic illnesses. In fact, Papa Pals often play a vital role in these members’ care teams. They provide emotional and social support that encourages adherence to care plans and enables members to remain in their homes longer.
Papa member Anisa, who is in her early 50s, has been homebound for seven years due to advanced Multiple Sclerosis (MS). More than anything, she wants to stay out of assisted living and maintain her independence.
Papa helps her do that and has been “an absolute godsend,” she says. “I don’t know what I would do without them.”
A diagnosis that changed her life
Anisa was diagnosed with MS in her late 20s. At the time, she had a job she enjoyed and “was on top of the world.” She loved reporting to the Chief Financial Officer at a multinational company, setting budgets, and handling millions of dollars worth of business every month. She was skilled at training and mentoring people and helping them be the best they could be.
She initially hid her diagnosis from her coworkers. “I had to play the part of somebody very healthy,” she says. But it became harder and harder to hide. Her vision was affected, then her body started to go numb, starting with her toes and moving up. When it got to her chest, she had trouble breathing and ended up in the hospital. She gradually downsized her role as the responsibilities and travel became too much.
As Anisa’s disease progressed, the nausea during car rides became increasingly unbearable. Seven years ago, she became mostly homebound due to her MS symptoms, including the nausea, physical pain, and mobility challenges. Today, Anisa uses an electric wheelchair and gets her groceries and household items delivered. She conducts most of her medical appointments virtually or in her home—with the exception of her non-negotiable monthly infusions.
Papa's essential role in Anisa's care
Without family nearby, Anisa moved to a 55+ community on her own two years ago. During this time, Papa has become an essential part of her care team, which includes a neurologist, homeopathic doctor, critical care nurse, and other providers.
“Every single Papa Pal I’ve had has been an outstanding human being,” Anisa says. “I’ve said it every time. Whatever their hiring practices are, they are amazing. Just amazing.”
She loves that Papa Pals come from all walks of life and choose to become Pals because they want to help people. “It’s not about money,” she says. “It’s truly a choice. You don’t find that, especially in healthcare. I’ve had many home health care nurses and physical therapists, but Papa is different.”
Because every car ride is such an ordeal, getting an Uber or Lyft to her monthly infusions was beyond stressful. In the past, Anisa’s anxiety about getting to her upcoming appointments would cause insomnia that started days in advance and would exacerbate her MS symptoms. She often canceled appointments because it was too much for her nerves.
Anisa's friends have kindly offered to take her to her appointments, but that hasn’t gone well either. “People have great intentions,” she says, but she has fallen out of her wheelchair when someone didn’t understand how to push it correctly. “It has to be as seamless as possible.”
Anisa can rest easier knowing her Papa Pal is coming to take her to her appointments. She knows who’s coming; she knows they know how to get to her and to her doctor; and they can communicate with her if anything happens. The steadiness of Papa Pals puts her mind at ease—and that’s priceless to her.
“It brings such peace to my life,” she says. “For me, Papa is church.”
A benefit that’s irreplaceable
When Anisa met with her health plan representative last month, she had just two items on her list to discuss: her monthly infusions and Papa.
Anisa considers her Papa Pals an absolutely integral part of her care team.
“Papa is the lynchpin that keeps me going month to month. They’re the piece of the team that allows the other pieces to happen,” she says. “I can worry about finding another doctor if I have to. Finding another Papa doesn’t happen.”
Before Papa, Anisa admits she would cancel 80% of her medical appointments because it wasn’t “a good MS day.” She says, “With Papa, I don’t have to worry if it’s a good MS day because my Pal already knows where we’re going, how to get there, and that I may need extra help.”
Social support is so much more than a ride to the doctor. Anisa’s Papa Pals provide her with “a mental health boost,” support her independence, and enable her critical care to continue. “Papa has allowed those infusion appointments to happen,” she says. “It is life-saving because, without that medication or treatment, it would be a different road for me.”
As her disease progresses, Anisa delves more deeply into her spiritual journey of enlightenment. She became a nun later in life and spends much of her time in meditative reflection and other forms of self-care. This has included learning to view her MS as a gift.
“Whatever lessons I’m supposed to learn,” she says, “I’m not done. My life force is here. I’m grateful to be here. Papa absolutely changed my life."
