Gerald O’Hare 

Aetna Medicare Advantage member 

“My name is Gerry O’Hare and I live in West Deptford, New Jersey. I grew up in this area I know this area very well. I’m a Vietnam veteran. I went to college on the GI bill and I became a teacher. I taught elementary grades and in the middle school grades, in different school districts in the state of New Jersey.

When I retired, they gave me a choice of what health care company I would use, and they gave me a chart. And it was a really interesting chart, because on one side, it had the names of the companies, and as you look towards the right it was the different areas of healthcare that that company covered. Well, Aetna had all the sections covered and I’ve been happy with Aetna ever since.

I have a hearing loss from the war, and I wear hearing aids. If I’m on the telephone I may miss half of what’s being told to me. When the nurse called me, she told me that Aetna has this Healthy Home Visit Program and that they would like to come to my house, and talk to me, check my medication. I’d much rather have someone come to my house - this way I can hear everything, I can express myself.

We talked about losing weight which is always a problem for me because I like to eat and I’m diabetic. So, she says well you’re what they call insulin resistant and I really didn’t know about the different types of foods that I should eat or should not eat. They taught me how to read the labels it was a real learning experience for me. And I did lose 50 pounds - clothes are a little big now and I’m very pleased with the Healthy Home visits.

I was recommended to walk by the Aetna nurse, but because I had diabetes, I have to take care of my feet. So, I go to a podiatrist, they told me in the office well if you have diabetes then your insurance company will help you get shoes. Because if I go barefoot around the house, I could step on something and not realize it and get an infection. So, I applied for these boots that I like, and Aetna did help me with that.

Part of staying healthy is having a good social life and meeting different people. I find that that type of activity keeps me sharp, it keeps me alert. I have four children and I have three grandchildren. I want to spend as much time with my grandchildren as I can. I want them to remember me as a healthy person. Aetna has helped me with that, and I’m really happy about that.”