Call his oncology clinic tomorrow and ask for:
• The nurse navigator and the social worker / case manager. Say exactly: "He finished chemo/radiation yesterday, no home health since April 22, no training, I am the only caregiver, we need home safety evaluation, swallow eval, nutrition, and caregiver teaching." • Ask them to re-order home health with specific skilled needs: wound/skin care, teaching for feeding tube if present, nutrition assessment, medication management. Humana Medicaid often denies without specific orders.
2. Call Humana Healthy Horizons / Humana Medicaid Member Services — number on back of his card:
• Ask for Care Management. Ask if he qualifies for Long-Term Services and Supports, personal care, or a community health worker. • Ask for a list of in-network home health agencies that take his plan. Sometimes an agency closed the case and the order just needs to go to a new one.
3. Local resource building near your area that usually help even without home nursing:
• American Cancer Society Road To Recovery / Reach: 1-800-227-2345 — they can also connect to local patient programs, free rides, lodging, and info • Aurora Health / Advocate Health Social Work and Prevea / HSHS social work — if he is seen at one of those systems, they have financial counselors who know Medicaid • Aging and Disability Resource Center of in your County: — helps any adult with disability/illness find personal care, respite, meal programs, even if not elderly • Wisconsin Cancer Collaborative and local food pantry / meal delivery: often provide Boost/Ensure at low cost
4. If you are stretched thin:
• Make a one-page care sheet on the fridge: med times, allergies, oncology number, pharmacy, what he can eat, your name as emergency contact • Ask friends, church, neighbors for specific tasks: "Can you bring lunch Tuesday and stay 1 hour so I can shower/run errands?" • Keep your own water, food, and breaks going. Caregiver burnout is real after months of this.
— whoever your friend is, they are lucky to have you staying through the hard post-treatment part when a lot of support disappears.