Andrew Kull

February 26 2018
Nine months ago my friend faced a multi-faceted, life-threatening, mental and physical crisis. He was bouncing in and out of hospital emergency rooms, unable to get the medical help he needed or to take care of himself at home. Family circumstances meant that he was essentially alone. I was 2,000 miles away in a job I could not leave even for a weekend. (Umbrella) was the answer to my prayers. Immediately after our initial phone call, (Umbrella) got in touch with my friend and started to do what needed to be done. They worked patiently with him during many weeks when he was very difficult to deal with (as I know from talking to him all that time). They arranged living arrangements and dealt with multiple health professionals. They kept in regular touch with me as long as this made sense, but as my friend gradually recovered, their professional relationship was with him directly. I cannot think of an experience in which I had to rely for anything so important on someone I had never met. I cannot imagine that there are many problems of caregiving as complex and difficult as the one Umbrella care managers walked into when they first went to meet my friend. If he had had the unlimited assistance of family and friends all this time, the results could not have been any better. I am profoundly grateful to Umbrella for what they have accomplished.