Keep Ruth Adaskevich out of a Nursing Home

My mother Ruth Adaskvich is a feisty, determined 94-year-old woman with many physical disabilities: severe arthritis, anxiety, and chronic pulmonary disorder. Presently she lives in her own apartment with a 24 hour caregiver. She is not able to dress herself or get out of bed on her own. When she was 86 she contracted a blood infection, and her doctors did not think she would make it. Her kidneys shut down; she needed to be tube fed and could only breathe with the help of a ventilator. Ruth fought to get better, and after five months she started to eat again and went back to living in her own apartment. That was nine years ago, and despite her mobility issues and her many medical problems, Ruth still loves to go places such as browsing flor clip earrings at resale shops, playing fetch with my dog or stealing my beer at an October Fest. Having a "24 hour" caregiver is expensive--almost $4000.00 a month even with the help of Veteran benefits, and within a few months Ruth will no longer have the money to afford her care. This will be devastating for Ruth because she so strongly values her independence. All she wants to do is stay in her own apartment, caring for her plants and learning to read German. In a nurs