Better Health, More Independence: A New Life for Louise
 

Photo credit: Shane Welch

Louise gets up with the birds for her hour-long walk on the treadmill four, sometimes six days a week.

Her 5 a.m. strolls could put anyone to shame, but for Louise, they’re simply a symbol for how far she’s come on her path to independence.

With her daily walks, Louise, 73, manages diabetes while she rehabilitates from devastating illnesses. She has done so well, she no longer relies on medicine to keep her blood sugar levels down.

Her success, she said, comes in large part from a small program that  Heartland Alliance offers, one that is helping her keep her life in balance.

“It really empowered her – it gave her her sense of independence back,” Louise’s daughter, Diana, said.

That’s precisely the goal of the program – to help seniors live fulfilling lives,  said Karen Stec, director of Heartland Alliance’s SenioReach sm program, a home- and community-based outreach service in Chicago. SenioReach operates in Roosevelt Square, as well as through two senior residences in Galewood and Avalon Park, whose developers contract with Heartland  Alliance to provide services for its residents. SenioReach serves about 100 people in those neighborhoods.

The program helps low-income seniors manage their well being, and puts them in touch with the organizations and services that can make daily life a little easier. Stec works with participants on a one-on-one basis to ensure they get the support they need. Whether it’s utility assistance or prescription drug aid, Stec  finds the solutions her clients need.

“We’re a young program, but even for a small program, we have a big impact,” Stec said. 

SenioReach also offers some medical services, including blood pressure checks and a six-week diabetes management course. That’s how Louise found Heartland Alliance.

Through that course at Montclare, Louise learned how to manage her diabetes, which had been threatening to make her sicker. A few years ago, Louise suffered from an aneurysm, which caused a cascade of health problems for her, and for awhile, her doctors and family weren’t sure how she was going to fare. But Louise slowly recovered,  and as she did, she struggled with the stress of her illnesses and the mounting costs that chipped away at her spare senior citizen’s budget. It was a rough cycle: The illnesses and stress aggravated her diabetes. The diabetes made it harder to recover, and kept her spirits low.

But through the course, Louise learned that exercise, making proper food choices and portioning her food are critical for keeping her blood sugar levels normal and stable. She learned how to manage stress – something she never realized would exacerbate her condition.  Louise also sought relief through the program’s benefits checks – and found a new friend in Stec.

Today, Louise is medication-free, many pounds lighter, singing contralto in her choir – and racking up miles on her treadmill.

“I used to think diabetes was a death sentence,” she said. “But then Heartland helped me, and I picked  up, and I am not going to stop.

“I’m going to keep going as long as I can.”