Human care goes beyond just your health

My name is Georgette Henri Blair.
I am Tracy and I am Georgette’s Humana Agent.
I’ve always been active, all my life.
She played many sports.
Softball.
Basketball.
Soccer.
Volleyball.
Baseball.
And when I got older, I started lifting weights.
I need variety.
She worked in a law office.
I worked for international spas.
Wrote for the newspaper.
I worked for Century Lie Detector.
Was in the drama club.
The poetry club.
She was even a model.
And her style shines through all different
ways.
I do fashion my own way.
She walks into a room and "boom" there she
is.
It’s nothing subtle.
It’s a way to express myself.
That’s my kind of art.
Retirement was not easy for Georgette.
I don’t know.
I was always kind of restless.
We sat down and just started talking about
our options.
Georgette’s Humana plan helped match her
with providers that were right for her.
I am very happy with the Humana doctor that
I got.
She really listened and would spend time with
me.
And the activities at the Humana center definitely
help Georgette stay happy and healthy.
I take 10-14 classes, exercise classes there,
every week.
Lifting weights.
Tai Chi.
Yoga.
Line dancing.
She likes the Zumba class here the most.
It makes me feel alive and raring to go.
Georgette has taught me we’re never too
old to be vital.I hope that the rest of my
life is not only happy but productive.
And I just want to be known as a good person,
a kind person and a giving person.

Ok, my name is Van Joseph Simms Jr.
I’m Adrian.
I am Van’s Insurance Agent.
I can remember when I first met Van.
He come to my house and I told him to come
in and sit down and he told me who he was.
We was actually able to talk and break the
ice.
100%.
Sitting around,
laughing,
joking,
talking about old times.
You know what I mean?
After that, it was just like,
"Bam!” mhm.
He was a cool dude.
And he told me that he used to work in truck
driving.
And he was very, very excited when he told
me that story.
I started driving trucks when I was young.
I wound up doing 42-and-a-half years.
You know?
And those 42-and-a-half years was very good
for me.
When Van describes his truck, it’s like
a love affair.
He describes it like it’s his wife.
Lucille was my truck and yes, she was beautiful.
She had twin stacks on her.
I had chrome wheels all around her.
I had lights all around it. Beautiful girl.
When I had to step down, because of my knees,
I cried like a baby.
Because I’d been out there all my life.
That was devastating to him.
Humana helped me because they knew my situation.
They knew how I felt.
He has been listened to.
He’s getting a team of professionals that
are actually taking care of him.
He loves going to his primary care doctor’s
office.
They treat me like I'm a human being.
They tell it to me just like it is.
I’m 75 years old, I never had that before.
Van did find a way back on the road.
I’m a bus monitor with autistic kids.
His nickname is ‘Papa Bear.’
I said, ‘I know I’m big and ugly but I
know I don’t look like no bear’, but that’s
what they want to call me. I have no problem with that. We have a good time on the bus.
It’s pretty amazing to actually see how
he’s doing and I appreciate that, and I
appreciate him.
What’s next for me?
Anywhere the wind blows, is cool with me.

On April 15, 2015, I suffered a stroke.
I was 74 years old at the time.
I found her at the foot of the bed standing
and she was saying, “I think I've had a
stroke."
It left me paralyzed on my whole right side.
I saw my husband wheeling me around in a wheelchair
in a hospital.
I said, “No, I'm going to walk.
I'm going to be myself again.”
This wasn't going to beat me, that I was going
to beat it.
We were lucky in that we started rehab almost
immediately.
Humana and SilverSneakers are really the catalyst
in everything that I do.
And SilverSneakers is like a tool.
Almost every single thing that I did in rehab
we had done in SilverSneakers prior.
I knew I could do it because I had done it before
and I was determined I was going to do it
again.
Just because something puts you down doesn't
mean that you're out forever and she's a perfect
example of that.
And I'm still working every day.
And coming to SilverSneakers has really, really
inspired me to be 100%.
Movement for older adults is very important.
Things that you do in the gym should definitely
relate to your outside life.
Whether it be carrying groceries, whether
it be being able to lift and put something
on a shelf.
Trainers are wonderful.
They're caring.
They’re sweet girls.
We love them and they really just get the
best out of us and put a smile on our face
every day.
SilverSneakers gives older adults just the
opportunity to exercise in an environment
where they can also socialize.
We do weights.
We do lifting, legs, arms.
You name it.
It's a head to toe workout.
It's a mind exercise.
It keeps her sharp, it keeps her laughing,
it keeps her joking.
It's fun.
Everyone has a great time.
They're exercising.
They're helping their body stay healthy, but
most of all they're having fun.
I found that being with my friends, working
out, got me to the place where I am today.
I have someplace to go.
I have people to see.
I just thank God every day that I'm healthy,
I can get here, and there's a reason for it.
I have a purpose every day.
SilverSneakers through Humana, it's just the
best thing that could happen to anybody 65
and older.