SILVERTON, Ohio — He calls out the numbers.
"135 over 81,” says Sherman Lynem.
After he writes down his wife’s blood pressure, he opens a box of pills labeled “Wednesday.” Blood pressure and pills are part of Lynem’s daily routine. For both he and his wife, who had a heart attack in June.
Doctors put six stents into her heart.
“I love taking care of her,” Sherman says.
But he’s 91. And so his is wife, Juanita.
Earlier this year, Sherman had hip surgery. His family worried. And Sherman’s daughter took him to the emergency room for what turned out to be anxiety.
He didn’t want to move.
He didn’t want to leave the home where he and his wife have lived since 1962.
He didn’t want to give up his last bit of independence.
“It’s a very common example of what we see,” said Ken Wilson, vice president of program operations for Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio. “It’s very traumatic on the entire family.”
After surgery, almost one in eight adults older than 65 end up back in the hospital in less than a month. More than one in four return to the hospital in six months.
That’s according to a 2024 study by Yale University. And it’s a problem that’s going to get worse, Wilson said.
In Silverton, Sherman and his family turned to a program through the Council on Aging. The “FastTrack Home” program helped the Lynems install railing on the stairs and in their bathroom. Case managers also tracked their progress to try to keep them in their home.
“I can’t be here all the time,” said Melanie Williams, one of the Lynem’s daughters. “It gave me comfort and reassurance that they were going to be OK.”
Sitting at her dining room table, Juanita smiles.
“I’m in good hands,” she says. “Like Allstate.”
Outside on the front porch, her husband waves to people who walk by. Sherman laughs and smiles. And then, he cries. Because he’s talking about the importance of his home. Because he's talking about what his home means when his wife of 65 years is living there with him.
“I love it,” he says, through tears. “It means a whole lot.”
Want more information?
Sherman and Juanita Lynem have both used the FastTrack Home program through our region’s Council on Aging in Ohio. Sherman transitioned to long-term care where he now has access to transportation services.
Officials in the program say enrollment more than doubled last year.
The program is free for 60 days after hospitalization for qualifying adults. If you’re in the hospital, ask your provider about the program. To find out more information, and what it takes to be eligible, you can visit help4seniors.org, call 513-618-2313 or email fasttrack_home@help4seniors.org.
