Daily Living Blog

Liberty For Aging Parents

The idea of caring for an aging loved one is hitting closer to home for one of Homecare Suppliers’ frequent blog writers.

Life is ironic in that often much of what we do for another ends up being preparation for what is to come next in our own lives!

Suzanne Wantland is a marketing contractor and writer for us. Recent events have caused her family to look at the possibility of her mother-in-law coming to live closer to them. Her mother-in-law is home bound in another state. The family support system where she is living is overburdened with many obligations. Thus, often her mother-in-law, Mil*, struggles to get prescriptions, her errands done and has had less and less social visits from family members. This has caused a great deal of stress and worry on the rest of the family.

Suzanne has been tapping into the many resources available through Homecare Suppliers. She began by researching what was available to Mil in Oklahoma. What she found was rather disheartening. This rural part of Oklahoma does not have a plethora of resources. Mil’s situation is difficult because she is on medicare, not medicaid, and she currently has some savings. Her financial status decreases the assistance that she is eligible to receive. Further, the assistance that she could acquire on a sliding scale would greatly reduce Mil’s savings and put her in a position where she would lose her housing. The support system that is in place for Mil is significant, but they are also sandwich generation children caring for Mil and their own children. Their time and resources are extremely limited.

Thus, Suzanne began comparing resources available to Mil now and those that would be available in the Kansas City area where she and her husband reside. There is a vast difference in the amount of programs and assistance available. Kansas City is a large metropolis with many governmental agencies, social organizations and non-profit entities committed to serving the aging. Suzanne started compiling a list of resources specific to Mil’s needs and began making phone calls. She has stated that the most frustrating part is that there is not just ONE resource to call to find out everything she needs to know and not all the organizations work together. Further, every call she makes she finds out something else she didn’t know and learns that everyone has different guidelines for assistance.

As we have stated in the past, we get many calls from family members caring for their loved ones. They have often shared their struggles, burdens and questions. As a result, two years ago, we created an on-going list of resources to try and offset the question of “where do I go from here?”. Our resource lists cover both aging and disabilities.

To further aid our customers, we have decided to chronicle part of Suzanne’s family’s journey here on our Daily Living Blog. This is an opportunity to highlight someone who is trying to find answers and assist her loved one in finding liberty.

*Mil’s name has been changed to honor her privacy. MIL = Mother-In-Law!