Childhood, Arun Patel tells his seven grandchildren now, was one of the best parts of his life. There, in a small village in the Indian state of Gujarat, he lived — the fourth of five sons born to a farmer-merchant. The 5,000 villagers were like family. The she-buffalo milk, arriving fresh each morning, was spectacularly good.
The days spent on his father’s farm were idyllic — the rhythmic movement of the oxen as the soil was turned and hoed, the sound of the seeds tossed by hand into the rejuvenated earth. Mahatma Gandhi had been born in Gujarat. Arun’s childhood memories also include time spent listening to great Indian revolutionary talk during his long treks home from the fields.
At the local school, Arun discovered a facility for math and science — a talent that would lead him toward a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at an Indian university before he departed, at the age of 24, for the United States and New York City. He eventually made his way to Columbia, Mo., where, at the University of Missouri, he earned his master’s degree in just three semesters. When it came time to choose between a PhD and a career, Arun chose the latter to save money. He didn’t love his first two jobs, but fell hard for his third, a Philadelphia-based engineering company where he put his skills to work designing the communications components that were the lifeblood of mainframe computers.
His wife soon joined him from India. She had been living with his parents, which was the custom then, and they settled into an apartment in northeast Philadelphia. The family soon expanded and, with three sons and an advancing career, they made Langhorne, Pa., their new home. On a wide back porch, a fertile container garden grew — Arun’s wife seeding and harvesting, among other things, the vegetables both had loved from their now distant childhood villages.
An indispensable care partner
Sadly, a year-and-a-half ago, Arun’s wife passed away suddenly from an incurable parasitic tick bite, Arun by her side. Today, on his own in the big family house, he is grateful for Patina, a company he learned about from a brochure that arrived in his mailbox just as he was trying to decide how to take better care of himself.
“Patina was advertising a new model of primary care for people 65 and older,” he remembers. “I liked what I saw, so I gave them a call. I learned that I’d have a dedicated health champion, Val Voluntad, who would assist me in looking after my health. She’d help coordinate my appointments, answer my questions, help me learn new ways to remember to take the medications I now take for diabetes and cardiovascular concerns. I’d also have a nurse practitioner, Michelle Lu, visit with me on video on a regular basis and another nurse come to my home every few months to check-in, take my vitals and keep my health records up to date. There was also an app I could install on my phone that would get me in touch at once with the team. I said ‘yes’ right away.”
Soon entering his second year with Patina, Arun sees the company as indispensable. When he came down with Covid, for example, he was able to use the Patina mobile app to get in touch — immediately, on a weekend — with someone who could get him the medication he needed, a response that Arun credits with lessening the potential damage of the virus. When Arun was away, in Atlanta, Ga., and ran out of the medication he needed, Patina was again right there for him — arranging to have his prescription dispensed from an Atlanta pharmacy. Arun says he is remembering to take his medications now, thanks to the suggestions the team has made. And recently, his feet starting to hurt due to his diabetes, Arun got in touch with Val, who helped him find and order the shoes he needs.
A care team that’s there when needed
“If I were on my own, I’d just forget to take care of myself. I’d schedule a doctor’s appointment and forget to go. I’d get the medications and forget to take them. But Patina keeps me on schedule.”
There in his dining room, a soft light coming in through the back windows, Arun speaks of the work he still does on behalf of the employer he never left — the communications systems he designs that keep airplanes flying, the recent trip he took to see some of the components being manufactured. He speaks of his sons and the lives they’ve built, of the grandchildren he is so proud of, of the brothers and parents who joined Arun in this country after he and his wife became citizens. He wonders where he might go to live when he sells his house this spring — his sons having all invited him into their homes.
He has had, he knows, a good and meaningful life. He is grateful to those who make his health a priority — to the Patina team that keeps him living well.
Learn how other Patina patients are enjoying a better healthcare experience in these additional stories.
Enjoy primary care from Patina
Available at the same cost you pay for primary care with your Medicare plan today, Patina is a different kind of primary care that helps you thrive in all aspects of life. You’ll get a dedicated care team that includes a Patina Primary Care Practitioner (PCP) and Patina Health Champion who take the time to know you, understand your needs, and help you navigate the healthcare system – so you get the care you deserve on your terms via video visits, phone, chat and in-person visits, when needed.
Arun's Story
Widower from Langhorne, Pa., with three grown sons and seven grandchildren
One of five children born to a farmer in Gujarat, India; grew up with a love for the land and is still an avid gardener
Spent his career as an electrical engineer at a Philadelphia-area company and continues working today
Receives care from Patina PCP Michelle Lu, NP and Patina Health Champion, Val Voluntad, to manage his diabetes and cardiovascular issues
Views his care team as indispensable and connects with them via mobile app, phone and in-person visits, when needed