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I'm not sure why someone hasn't called the agencies that should be helping our elderly. That is a ridiculous waste of resources, and what if there is a fire. Someone needs to call the local Ombudsman, or ADA...this man should not be living at home. Sad, but it is the reality.
Sounds like she has more reportable income than just SS. Pension? Investments?
And the family contributes financially to the point you cannot save for your own retirement?
Can anything be done to reduce her reportable income by $5, so that she qualifies for help?
I have a few Meals on Wheels clients who rent rooms and their only income is SS based on their departed husband's earnings. Also have and on again/ off again able- bodied client who owns his house, drives and has a very active social life.
He could build Karma and deliver Meals to his less abled - bodied peers.
A small pension with SS puts her just above the income limit (nothing can be done to reduce her income). Both brothers are struggling financially so the financial help is left to me and it's hurting my ability to put aside for my own elderly years. Of the 2 brothers only one is willing to help physically but he's always working so the help is limited so anytime anything needs done I'm the one left to do the majority of it. The youngest brother who won't help was all talk before this happened. He'd "preached it", talking the importance of "sticking together" as if he needed to. Now that it's time to walk the walk he shown that he's nothing but talk.
It's poor policy that the system has a cut off point rather than a tier where you are disqualified. How anyone is able to afford all the needs (20hours / week of home care, doctor visits, medications, home modifications, etc) because your income is even one penny above a limit gives me visions of the ad played on tv 2012, "Throw granny off the cliff".
The 20 hr per week / $10 an hour alone is a $800 minimum per month bill not counting expensive co-pays on medications, getting through the donut hole, doctor visits. renting equipment and on and on. Throw all the taxes I pay and a doubling of my health care premiums per month and deductible. How much are we supposed to handle. Yea, and then people wonder why I'm P***.
The good ole responsible conservatives in my family disappeared when I had stage IV cancer at 23 years old. Little liberal me worked full time through chemo against doctor's orders and climbed further and further into debt as my entry level job didn't allow me to pay my medical bills even with insurance, much less pay for help cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, etc. that I could no longer do on my own. And that's to say nothing of the long term health effects I struggle with even now, 5 years later, because I was constantly overworked and stressed during treatment.
There are responsible people of every political stripe in families. There are also useless people everywhere on the political spectrum. Part of being responsible is making sure you have prepared for retirement - and we've known for the past 30 years that social security would not be near enough.
I am far more liberal from having been on the other side of the caretaking dilemma - and there is a hell of a lot more support for the elderly than there is for young adults needing help. I had 4 months in the workforce save for my illness and needs. Your mother had more than 4 decades. If she spent money on your brother over the years rather than saving for her own future, then I'm sorry that her irresponsibility falls on you.
Oh I agree. there are responsible of all political stripes but to force me to pay everyone else while making it more and more difficult to take care of my own is wrong and not the answer. As I said, my liberal bother who talked a good game even going as far as preaching now refuses to walk the walk when the time came.
Why would you think it's acceptable for able bodied people, even encouraged to depend on other people?
Why do you believe in putting such a heavy load on one group while giving the other group a pass.
Do you think responsible people can really pull these people out of poverty without hurting their ability to take care of themselves when they can no longer work... and ending up in poverty themselves?
Do you think condoning irresponsibility and dependency while being able bodied as right?
Do you think it was smart that in the old days women were supposed to be dependent on men? I don't and there is a generation suffering from that accepted attitude.
The best thing anyone can do for themselves and society is be responsible for themselves as best as they can.
No-one's word is good in my opinion until you can pay your own way, step up to the plate when your family needs help, and prepare as best as you can for a time you will not be able to work. Otherwise it's nothing but talk.
I'm not sure why someone hasn't called the agencies that should be helping our elderly. That is a ridiculous waste of resources, and what if there is a fire. Someone needs to call the local Ombudsman, or ADA...this man should not be living at home. Sad, but it is the reality.
First, you obviously haven't been reading. All those agency Ombudsman, aging waver, were contacted and are well aware of the situation. They don't like the policies as much as I don't. At some point they begin to trust you and will tell you stories of people who did qualify and try to abuse it.
That being said,.. isn't the safety net said to be for people who fall on hard times or is as I found out, to coddle people who refuse to try in the first place. As it stands, government takes such a large amount and then if something goes wrong we are left asking government for our money back but then we are denied.
If we as the middle class were able to keep more of our money instead of giving it away to a government that uses it for an archaic system that takes from one group to give to another that doesn't even seem to try. When instead our money could have been used as needed for our own family (being responsible).
Its a system where only one group benefits but if the middle class falls on hard times as in this case due to illness of a family member are not qualified for help even though we pay for it.
Kinda hard to say but I do agree that until they find a solution, they should continue to respond to the calls.
Quote:
Originally Posted by petch751
On top of this, my FIL is 86 years old. We may end up helping and paying to help both my mom and my FIL while while paying for everything else (kids, home, saving for elderly years, high taxes) while the poor get everything paid for.
Believe me, the poor have nothing to complain about.
All your family problems and you can't help but whine about the poor claiming everything is paid for which is not true at all. Typical.
He needs to sleep in a lift chair. It tilts all the way back for sleeping and keeps your legs raised and the remote dumps you out of the chair in a standing position as the back comes up and the seat tilts forward. The remote is electric and requires two batteries just in case the power goes out when you are in the sleeping position. There are no levers to pull.
He needs to sleep in a lift chair. It tilts all the way back for sleeping and keeps your legs raised and the remote dumps you out of the chair in a standing position as the back comes up and the seat tilts forward.
Who's he? I got her a tilt chair so it's easier for her to get up to walk a little and go to the bathroom. I also bought her a scooter so she can ride instead of a wheel chair and a stair climber so we can get her up and down the stairs. Besides I don't believe that just because an elderly person has a hard time getting around you just stick them in bed or a chair and let them live out their days there. They are people, who still have a mind and want to enjoy what little time they have left. We should also make sure they have some social life too.
Who's he? I got her a tilt chair so it's easier for her to get up to walk a little and go to the bathroom. I also bought her a scooter so she can ride instead of a wheel chair and a stair climber so we can get her up and down the stairs. Besides I don't believe that just because an elderly person has a hard time getting around you just stick them in bed or a chair and let them live out their days there. They are people, who still have a mind and want to enjoy what little time they have left. We should also make sure they have some social life too.
The woman's husband in the original post. The wife said he just needs help getting up. The chair's remote has an up arrow and a down arrow so it's not complicated. It will help him stand from a laying down or sitting position. Some of them are even heated. It will stand him right up with no effort on his part.
Watch the last chair (the brown one) which has both sleeping and sitting positioning.
after about the third call the firemen should have notified Eldercare (or whatever similar service is available in that state) so a caseworker could have gotten involved.
Agreed.
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