08-30-2024, 11:32 AM
My friend, Carla, has been living in this area for the last 15 years or so. She and my daughter worked together and became friends when my daughter lived in the mountains. When she moved back here, Carla soon followed. Since 2017, I have been "taking care" of Carla. She has been in the hospital a dozen times or so since then, the ER way more often and has ten different doctors she sees on at least a semi-annual basis unless something comes up in between. On tax day this year, April 15, she fell while walking from her car to my daughter's front door. No one could get her up, so an ambulance was called. EMS helped her up and into the house. When she was walking back to her car later on, she fell again. This time, I was called. When I got there, we called the ambulance again and off to the ER she and I went. Six weeks later, she was back home after being in rehab for over a month. Since then, Carla has been very forgetful, stopping mid-sentence, trying desperately to remember what she was going to say, having difficulty maintaining her balance with her walker and becoming frightened about what is going on. Her speech therapist who also works in memory assessment and her psychiatrist both say she is in cognitive decline and possibly in the early stages of alcohol induced dementia. At least, she quit drinking and is on Antabuse. We have been back and forth to doctors and she had PT, OT and ST (speech therapy) ordered the first of this month. They are each coming once a week....
This morning I called to check on her. She said "I'm on the floor". She told me she had fallen. She has no strength to lift herself up. Thankfully, my granddaughter was able to go over there and call 911. If she calls 911 herself and she can't unlock the door, firemen are called to break down the door. They did that a few months ago and it cost Carla over $400 to have it replaced. We are looking into a Knox box (look it up).
So, please dear family, pray for all of us. I am going to do my best to help her. In the meantime, after many recommendations from her doctors and many conversations, she has agreed to allow us to find a family care home (a residential home designed to provide personal care services to individuals requiring assistance. The provider must live in the home and offers personal services for up to 5 residents). She does not want to live in a nursing home. I have NO idea what a home like that charges for live-in residents. We already know someone who lives in one not too far from here, but there are no available rooms there. So, the Lord is going to have to provide a place that she can afford. She is NOT eligible for Medicaid -her income is $53 a month over the maximum allowed to qualify.
I will admit this has been difficult and at times I get overwhelmed. BUT, the Lord is faithful to provide me with what I need to deal. And with prayers lifting up by you all, I can do this!! (:^)
Thank you!
This morning I called to check on her. She said "I'm on the floor". She told me she had fallen. She has no strength to lift herself up. Thankfully, my granddaughter was able to go over there and call 911. If she calls 911 herself and she can't unlock the door, firemen are called to break down the door. They did that a few months ago and it cost Carla over $400 to have it replaced. We are looking into a Knox box (look it up).
So, please dear family, pray for all of us. I am going to do my best to help her. In the meantime, after many recommendations from her doctors and many conversations, she has agreed to allow us to find a family care home (a residential home designed to provide personal care services to individuals requiring assistance. The provider must live in the home and offers personal services for up to 5 residents). She does not want to live in a nursing home. I have NO idea what a home like that charges for live-in residents. We already know someone who lives in one not too far from here, but there are no available rooms there. So, the Lord is going to have to provide a place that she can afford. She is NOT eligible for Medicaid -her income is $53 a month over the maximum allowed to qualify.
I will admit this has been difficult and at times I get overwhelmed. BUT, the Lord is faithful to provide me with what I need to deal. And with prayers lifting up by you all, I can do this!! (:^)
Thank you!