2008 “Give a Caregiver a Break” FIRST-PRIZE WINNER: Evelyn
"The Organizer"
Photography by Fran Collin
On July 19th 2007 at 2:30 A.M., my life changed forever. My 90-year-old husband had gotten out of bed, somehow fell, hitting his head on a piece of furniture. He suffered a concussion, cerebral bleed and hematomas. A month later, he had a re-bleed. Between July and November, he was hospitalized three times and had prostate surgery. We spent many hours in the emergency room. He was in different nursing homes for rehabilitation and care. Every day, he would call me bright and early to say, "I want to come Home." Those words he remembered. On November 21st, I brought him home.
I have spent many years of my career in the healthcare field. I could see what happened to caregivers. This interest made me organize the Older Women's League of Boulder County. As its President, my primary goal was to find relief for women caregivers and to promote legislation for issues pertaining to older women. One of the prominent pieces of legislation before the Colorado legislature in the 1980's was to revise the Medicaid statutes so that the spouse at home would not be reduced to poverty. She needed income when her spouse was placed in a nursing home. I testified before the subcommittee taking testimony on this legislation. Unfortunately, I became very emotional when I was speaking. Since my husband is ten years older than me, I could see myself impoverished after a lifetime of paid and unpaid employment.
My husband exhibits the short-term and long-term memory loss of a brain injury patient. I do not leave him without supervision. Since his fall, we have spent over $10,000 in nursing home and in-home care. Unfortunately, on August 29th of last year I, too, fell down the cement steps leading to a supermarket. (The toe of my sneaker caught in a hole on the landing). I fell backwards hitting my head on the cement wall, injuring my left elbow, knee, and jamming my thumbs. This has made it extremely difficult for me to provide care for my husband. Respite care for people in our position is not affordable. Everyone I speak with tells me to take care of myself. Good advice! We purchased long-term care insurance in 1993 and have now paid approximately $80,000 into the plan. It now costs $8,500 a year. My goal was to have in-home care for my husband and myself. Our policies provide for only $40 a day for home care. Need I say more?
In 2002, my husband had had open-heart surgery, a triple by-pass, aortic valve replacement and a pacemaker. I was able to take care of him. In 2004, he had spinal surgery; I was able to take care of him. He is diabetic and I give him daily injections. Along the road, I developed polymyalgia rheumatica, severe osteoarthritis of the spine, and COPD.
I desperately need help to continue to be a caregiver!
—Evelyn Cooper, Boulder, CO
Winner of $2500 in free respite care
From Home Instead Senior Care