My late husband had a complex of medical conditions that muddied the waters in the lead-up to his third open-heart surgery. Although all six of his specialists were at the same hospital, they were not communicating effectively, either with us or with one another. Bringing Anne Jacoby on board was one of the smartest things I ever did. She understood how to approach these physicians with respect, and because she understood both their language and the physiological issues they were addressing, they quickly grew to respect her as well. She got them to work as a team on difficult decisions and then explained their reasoning to me and my husband in terms we could understand. After the long and difficult surgery, Anne guided us through the maze of recovery and rehab options, taking into account not only my husband’s very specialized physical requirements but also our separate emotional needs. When a couple of years later he contracted a fatal blood infection, it was Anne who helped us navigate through seven tumultuous weeks of hospital and nursing home stays and then arranged for him to get the best home care possible. By steadfastly applying her skills, knowledge, and sensitivity, she piloted us through what sometimes felt like insurmountable challenges and enabled my husband to live out his last months in accordance with his wishes.
M. Ellin
Cambridge, MA
My sisters and I were referred to Healthassist through a mutual friend. I, being the sibling closest distance wise, needed help in coordinating care for my elderly mother who is living in assisted living. I was then introduced to Anne Jacoby, from the very beginning it was clear to me that she was exactly what we were looking for, a caring, dedicated, and competent person to help organize our mother’s care in a way that I as a lay person could never do. I was becoming very frustrated bringing my mother to various medical appointments and not knowing how to ask the right questions and the quality time with my mother suffered as a result. Having Anne on board with us takes that medical burden away and now I can focus on spending much better time with my mother. I can see how organizing and having the right caregivers helps my mother live a much more peaceful life. Anne and Healthassist have been indispensable to me and my family.
M. McNeff
Watertown, MA
For the past six years my mother has been an active client with Healthassist; and since her move into an assisted living facility over five and a half years ago, she has benefitted continuously from ongoing interactions with her private care manager, Anne Jacoby. The trusting and supportive relationship that Anne has cultivated with my mother has allowed a knowledgeable and skilled professional in geriatric care issues to be the point person in assessing and monitoring my mom’s vital health care needs. More recently with the onset of covid-19 this past year, Anne’s diligent and ongoing inquiries into obtaining the latest information about the virus has been enormously helpful in her interactions with my mother, me, and the staff at the facility where my mother lives. Her coaching and advisory role has been critically important in helping us navigate the many nuances of how to live safely and securely during this time. Anne’s role in being involved in most doctor visits, occasional ER visits, and in follow-up with providers afterwards has been vital for maintaining consistency in my mother’s health care. As a family member who has often communicated with Anne about my mother’s needs, I have found her ongoing support and encouragement to me essential in the relationship we have to maintain my mother’s wellbeing and my own as well.
K. Nimblett
Somerville, MA
Thank you for all of your excellent help in guiding us through the maze of Medicare and all its components. We have successfully obtained Medicare Part B and D and our MEDEX plans and have completed all of the steps you so carefully outlined for us to prevent future problems. Social Security has properly deducted all of the current and back premiums and we have paid our first quarterly premium to BlueCross BlueShield.
What a relief!! It would have been so much more difficult without your help.
M. Demarest
Lexington, MA
Anne Jacoby is a treasure! She helped our family navigate the health care system to find the best possible short and long-term care for my brother. In addition to Anne’s expertise and extensive professional networks, she brought wisdom and compassion to her work with us. Anne became a trusted advisor to our family. She was a tireless, passionate, and effective advocate for the welfare of my brother. I recommend Anne highly.
Palo Alto, CA
When my 85-year-old father had a severe stroke, my brother and I both traveled to be by dad’s side. We quickly realized that we were in way over our heads. Not only did both of us live thousands of miles away, but we had no idea how to deal with the many issues which arose. We felt that dad’s care was poorly coordinated at the rehab facility he was placed in. Also, we didn’t know how to find a new living situation that was appropriate when we decided he couldn’t return to his home.
We engaged Healthassist to help us navigate a complicated system during a very stressful time. Dianne intervened with the rehab facility to make them more accountable. She helped us sift through our assisted living options, and find one that was a good fit for dad. Later, after dad was settled and my brother and I returned home, Dianne coordinated and accompanied dad to doctor appointments, formed relationships with his doctors and kept us apprised of any issues She became a trusted advisor to dad and our family and we felt confident that dad was getting the care he deserved.
I can’t say enough about Dianne’s professionalism – even in the most stressful situations she is the voice of calm and reason. I’ve also been impressed at the bond she’s been able to forge with my dad, despite his increasing dementia. Finally, I am always amazed at how responsive Dianne is. I don’t think I’ve ever waited more than an hour for a return call or email.
Amy Hirschkron
Salem, MA
Dianne was an invaluable resource to our family during our parents’ long decline. She helped ensure that both parents could be cared for at home, assisted in coordinating the care team, and was a good sounding board for the difficult decisions we had to make. Dianne combined medical knowledge with good judgment and problem-solving abilities. When the inevitable conflicts and disagreements came up she was a sensible, fair-minded mediator.
Dr. Steve Axelrod
New York, NY
After four months of intensive care and a month in inpatient rehabilitation, we were thrilled to get my brother home. That excitement was quickly tempered when we realized what we were managing: home care support, a dozen medications, pumps and electronic devices, dressing changes, specialist appointments, insurance and more. The responsibility was frightening. Dianne’s clinical knowledge, sensitivity, kindness and a let’s-get-it-done approach made a truly daunting situation completely manageable. We are big fans of Healthassist.
It is hard to express our gratitude to Dianne Savastano and Healthassist for being such an important part of our mother’s life over the past six years. Because only one of the three of us is living near our mother, it is difficult for us to develop relationships with Mom’s doctors and attend her significant medical appointments, manage our mother’s medications, work with her caregivers to keep her as healthy and engaged as possible, and generally focus on our mother’s health care needs as she grows older. Dianne does all this and more.
Because Dianne is in our lives, we are all confident that Mom, now 94, continues to get the very best care possible. Our mother trusts Dianne, listens to her advice even more than she listens to ours, and knows that when we can’t be with her, someone who genuinely cares about her is there.
Dianne is excellent at keeping us informed through regular emails and she is always available to meet with us when we are in town visiting with our mother. Because of Dianne and Heathassist, this stage of Mom’s life is happier and less stressful for her and for all of us who care about her.
Roger Geller
Dianne Savastano’s professional service, years of nursing experience and her understanding of the aging process assisted us with our concerns. I cannot say enough about how happy we were with the service that Dianne provided to our family during our time of need.
Mr. C’s daughter