- [Evan] Linda Falcone found that once she hit 65 years old there was no way Social Security was gonna support her.

- I'm actually living below the poverty level.

- [Evan] So she moved into a low income development in Weaverville, a small community just outside Asheville.

But she had another challenge, and that was when she was diagnosed with mid stage Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's, a brain disease is not a mental health condition, but depression is.

And depression is very common among people with Alzheimer's especially during the early and middle stages.

- Everything I forget, and that's frustrating to me.

- [Evan] She has no family and no support in the area but her doctor referred her to a small community healthcare organization that helps people like Falcone remain healthy and in their home.

Falcone remembers the night she had to spend at the hospital.

- So they kept saying, who can I call?

I said, call Kathey Avery.

I gave them the number and Kathey was the one who came to pick me up.

She even slept on the floor that night because I had to have somebody stay overnight.

She slept on the damn floor for me.

I could not believe it.

- Well, what you need to look at.

- [Evan] Kathey Avery says she was simply filling a gap between the hospital system and patients who may not have access to traditional health services.

- Well, community health workers and community nurses work in the community, which is a concept that's been around a while, but not utilized.

- [Evan] It's called the Community Health Worker Model which is an independent grant-funded solution.

- We can come out and assess what she needs and give it to her and we don't have to worry about, oh I have to turn in this report so that we get reimbursed, which is the normal healthcare system, which is nothing wrong with that for the healthcare system but it's not good for the client.

- [Evan] Many of Avery's elderly clients endure isolation, which can bring on issues like anxiety or depression.

While others have some type of cognitive impairment such as dementia from strokes or Alzheimer's.

- That she trust us and know that we have her best interest at heart and that she'll listen to what we say.

- [Evan] This type of long-term support is thanks to a partnership with the Mountain Area Health Education Center, or MAHEC which provides training and retention of healthcare professionals across Western North Carolina.

Falcone says, without the support of Kathey and the community health worker model she wouldn't be able to stay in her home.

And said, it's less about the program and more about the people behind it.

- She's a wonderful person and I know she helps a lot of other people, too.

- [Evan] For NC Impact, I'm Evan Howell.

- Hot.

Oh!