William Honsberger

Patient of Supportive Care and Homecare Dimensions, San Antonio

At age 91, WellMed patient William Honsberger feels the downside of getting older, but he can’t say enough kind things about WellMed and the care he’s received from Dr. Elizabeth Glazier. When asked about how he feels about Dr. Glazier, his immediate response was, “How much time do you have?”

William used every term he could think of: amazing, terrific, great, to describe Dr. Glazier. “She’s the primary reason I’m in as good a condition as I am. Without her, I don’t think I’d still be around,” he said.

“I don’t know how I got so lucky. We seem to be on the same channel without trying. She has no trouble understanding me.”

The sentiments are mutual. Dr. Glazier describes William as “delightful” despite his daily struggles.

“He has a history of COPD, congestive heart failure, peripheral vascular disease (PVD), and severe debility which leaves him only able to walk from his recliner to his bathroom, about 20 feet,” Dr. Glazier said. “He’s home-bound, so he receives care through our multi-disciplinary Supportive Care Program in addition to wound care through Homecare Dimensions, which is a part of WellMed.”

During COVID-19, he also received a digital tablet from WellMed to use longitudinally in his home to both connect with the Supportive Care team and his out-of-town friends and family members, as well as to play his favorite game of Blackjack and to read up on current events daily. The regular touch points through his tablet and through visits with the Supportive Care team and Homecare Dimensions has brought him immense joy throughout a very difficult time.

Along with this host of illnesses that have left him home- and recliner-bound, William jokes that his memory is one of the things he “left behind in his past.” Although some of the finer details of his life may be fading, the memories of his days in the Army during the Korean War still linger, and proudly he says, “I fought for my country, and I’d do it again.”

But as sure as the pain of war still stings, his memories of performing as a jazz pianist at the night club he opened in San Antonio in the 1970s bring a smile to his face and a joyful stroll down memory lane.

Although his days as a performing musician are long gone, William takes great comfort in the care he receives from Supportive Care and Homecare Dimensions. “They take such great care of me,” he said. “They’re wonderful, and I’ve been treated so well.”