Heart Felt Thank You

As a registered HICAP counselor, I assist individuals in navigating through the often murky waters of the Medicare system. Recently, I counseled a 64 year old woman while I was at a local senior center. The woman's frustration was apparent from the moment she walked into the office. Her body language was stiff and she had an aggravated look on her face. English was her second language.

It would have been easy for me to simply find out what her Medicare issue was, provide the desired information and send her on her way. I knew that spending a few minutes chatting before working through the issue would brighten both her and my day. We made small talk. We spoke about the client's hobbies and how she planned to enjoy these hobbies more once she retired.

Reaching out to this quiet woman enabled her to let her guard down and get comfortable enough with me that she and I worked through the details easily. Preexisting concerns about language barriers had faded. It really made my day to watch this client walk out of our meeting knowing that she had acquired the information she needed to make an informed decision about health care.

Approximately two weeks later, the volunteer coordinator for HICAP called me to let me know this client sent me a letter. The fact that she would take the time to write a letter touched me. Within her letter she stated how she finds it difficult to be comfortable around other people but that I put her at such ease when we met. She was grateful to be treated so nicely.

These sentiments really warmed my heart. My desire is to provide the tangible services defined as HICAP counseling, and to reach out and meet the intangible needs of my clients as well. This client thinks I made her day..... but in reality, she made my day.