The Elder Care Journey

A Typical Journey

(Names have been omitted to protect privacy.)
To give you an idea of a typical situation faced by our clients – and how we were able to help – presented below is one client’s story, which is used with their permission.

The Challenge

My father, who is 86 years old, lives at home with my 80-year-old mother, who takes care of him with assistance from me, his only child, and a driver/companion from a private care company.

He has been diagnosed as “homebound” with the following conditions:

1. Legally Blind – Although he has limited eyesight, he is unable to read or see more than a few feet in front of him. He cannot drive and has trouble walking outside his home. He is currently receiving services and training from the VA for adapting to his vision limitations.

2. Prostate Cancer – He has had complications from prostate cancer since he was diagnosed 20 years ago. Eight years ago, he had radiation treatments, chemotherapy and had a bilateral oriectomy. Since that time, he has undergone numerous procedures to keep his bladder and urinary functions working.

Recently, his urinary functioning deteriorated to the point that his doctor inserted a permanent catheter. His catheter must be changed on a regular basis. This requires that a nurse visit and change the catheter once per month.

Although he can empty the contents of the bag, he is unable to see well enough to clean it. My mother helps him empty and clean the bag when he bathes or when the bag gets constricted. However, due to her arthritis, she may have problems with the task in the near future.

In addition, he bleeds constantly because of the active condition of his cancer. This requires regular infusion of blood to keep his blood levels normal. He had blood infusions four times in the last three months, twice requiring hospital admissions. His doctor has recently made arrangements with the home health care nurse to take his blood on a semi-weekly basis.

3. Hearing – He wears hearing aids in both ears and can hear most one-on-one conversations as long as the other person is within a few feet of him. He has difficulty hearing conversations with multiple people. He often hears only part of a conversation and must ask for repetition of many words. His hearing loss has been diagnosed as service-related by the Nashville Veterans Campus.

4. Diabetes – He has had diabetes for more than 20 years and must take daily insulin shots for maintenance. Although he can give himself the shots, he is unable to prepare the shots due to his limited eyesight. I prepare all insulin shots since my mother suffers from arthritis in her hands and is unable to prepare them.

My mother must help him with taking his blood sugar measurements since he cannot see well enough to record the readings.

5. Medication – I prepare all daily medications because he is unable to see well enough to prepare them. My mother is unable to help with this task because he takes many medications and they change often.

Daily Living
My father can currently perform most daily living tasks with minimal help. He feeds, dresses and bathes himself with help from my mom.

Since my mother suffers from chronic back problems, she is unable to drive and I am unable to drive them everywhere they need to go. It has been necessary to hire a companion/driver to take them to most doctor and dentist appointments, the grocery store, drug store, haircuts and other shopping trips. The driver currently comes three days a week and also performs light housekeeping tasks that they are unable to handle.

The cost of hiring a driver/companion is $16 an hour. She is unable to handle any health-related tasks.

Health Conditions and Basic Situation of My Mother
My mother, who is the primary caregiver for my father, has serious heart problems. Five years ago, she had quadruple by-pass surgery and still suffers from high blood pressure and uncontrollable arrhythmia.

She has chronic back problems stemming from arthritis in her spine. This has forced her to limit driving to occasional short trips.

In addition, she has arthritis in her hands and fingers, which makes fine motor activities difficult to perform. She has difficulty writing, so I have to write checks and keep their finances in order.

She has suffered from severe depression and was hospitalized for this condition for 10 days, two years ago. She is currently under doctor supervision and takes medication to control the symptoms.

Due to my father’s many conditions, she handles all his day-to-day needs. She must help with many activities, including reading instructions, reading blood pressure and blood sugar levels, keeping his appearance clean, finding lost items, etc. His disabilities, for all practical purposes, render him completely dependant on her.

Health Care Costs
The costs for any non-reimbursed health care procedure, such as cleaning his catheter, is $70 per visit. The cost is $170 per visit for inserting the catheter or performing other health-related procedures.

Non-Health Care Costs and Financial Obligations
My father and mother are unable to handle any responsibility related to finances. I currently handle all financial obligations, including banking, bills, taxes, insurance and any decisions related to their daily living.

I am also the primary contact for all doctors and update all their health and medication information. I help with the maintenance of their house, car and other living requirements.

Since I am an only child, I am the only person helping with their care.

The Solution

If this story sounds like a situation that you or a loved one is facing, you are not alone. Thousands of seniors in Middle Tennessee face similar obstacles everyday.

Don’t travel this journey alone – let us help you. Contact us and we will meet with you to discuss your individual needs. Don’t expect a sales pitch, but rather a conversation about where you are now and how you can utilize your existing assets to better handle the financial burdens of long-term care as your journey continues.