My name is Andy, and my wife is Mickey. We have been married since 1986, and have two children, ages 11 and 13. My wife's brother died in 2001, which sent my in-laws, Bob and Jean, both 75 yrs old, into mental and physical tailspins. After both were hospitalized for seperate health problems, the decision was made that needed to move into assisted living. Jean had a broken leg and could not transfer to the toilet so she went to a nursing home, Bob to assisted living. Bills were in the $10k per month range, and Jean was becoming a "zombie" in the nursing home. She was not getting better. At the rate money was being spent, they would be broke within a year. We decided to buy a larger house where we, our two children and her parents could all live. Medically they were fine, but physically, Bob needed a walker and Jean was using a wheel chair. They were also mentally stressed from being seperated after 50+ years of marriage. In M
ANt
Name:
ANt Duplay
Location:
Monclova
Caregiver Relationship:
Parent
Living Arrangements:
Share Home
Primary Illness:
Frail/Elderly
Wish List:
The things I wish most for are:
1. Some sort of counseling to help older people and their care giving families make the transition smoother.
2. Financial aid to help defray the high cost of keeping your parents at home (SS and other retirement benefits just don't cut it). We are saving Medicare money by keeping them at home, but spending our retirement savings. How about some help for us?
3. Affordable, dependable respite for us and our children.
In conclusion, doing the right thing is never the easy thing, but it still is the right thing.