Time was the one thing I couldn't get back

Even after turning 100, Curtis Powell’s mother, Mary Edna, lived as she had much of her life: fiercely independent and active in her community. She zoomed down grocery store aisles with her shopping cart, visited neighbors and became a bit of a hometown celebrity after a local newspaper featured her.​

Then, at 102, a fall and broken leg changed everything. She recovered enough to use a walker, but another fall two years later left her bedridden and in need of full-time assistance, placing more responsibility on Curtis. The role was both stressful and sacred. Mary Edna had raised Curtis as a single parent after his father died, and stepping up for her felt like a chance to give back.​

“I wasn’t just her son anymore,” said Curtis, who lives in Chicago. “I was making sure the pieces came together for her care. CVS Health became an important partner.”​

As her needs grew, Curtis relied on CVS Pharmacy for prescriptions and supplies such as bandages, antiseptics, blood pressure cuffs and pulse oximeters. With the CVS Health® app, he could build shopping lists and check what was in stock, helping him quickly pick up what he needed and spend less time on errands.​

When Curtis took Mary Edna to MinuteClinic for recommended immunizations, she was nervous about needles and getting the shingles vaccine. The care team explained what to expect, called her by name and asked how she was doing, putting her at ease. To Curtis, this was what neighborly care looked like.​

“The nurse practitioners treated her like a movie star,” he said. “They made her feel at home.”​

Most of all, he said CVS Health lightened the load and kept the focus on what mattered.​

“With my mother, time was the thing I didn’t want to waste,” he said. “CVS Health let me spend less of it figuring things out and more of it with her.”​