Quality Care at Home for Alzheimer’s Patients

Fundraising campaign by Pia
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Hi all,

The journey to this particular moment has been a long one but I realized that I have to do something to make change happen.

Both of my parents have Alzheimer's disease at different stages. My father was mom's caregiver for decades after her brain surgery in the late '80s. She developed Alzheimer's a few years ago. These days, the disease is taking him slowly, but surely, too. Early on, her needs and care were manageable. Now, it is way more work since they both need care.

Both need basic custodial care and daily grooming. Other than that they are very comfortable in the home and with each other. The CNAs (Certified Nursing Assistant) who come in a few hours a day absolutely love working with them, too.

My options for what to do have been limited to just two--caring for them around the clock myself or placing them in a facility. After calling ALFs (Adult Learning Facilities) and beyond, I discovered that their care can easily cost $3-4,000 per month per person (and that's the starting rate) in an ALF. In a year that could cost us about $36-$48,000 per person per year. Nursing homes are easily $4-7,000 per month, if not more. And that's a whopping $48-84,000 per year per person. Well, let's just say that I don't know anyone who can afford that amount. Compare that to the staggering cost of care at five-star nursing homes that tops in the $20,000/month range or $120,000 per year per person. They couldn't even afford a month in those five-star places. I honestly don't understand why it costs so much.

Being placed in a nursing home is no easy consideration. To uproot and shift someone's life, especially one with a chronic condition, is in itself quite a heavy thought. And it's no secret that placing one into a facility can, sometimes, minimize quality of life and their life expectancy.  Of course, there are others who would do well.

I always thought Medicare would help seniors with nursing home care. Well, I was surprised to learn how little Medicare does for those who aren't dependent on daily treatments. 

http://www.medicare.gov/coverage/nursing-home-care.html

Since they don't require treatments for diabetes or dialysis, their coverage is limited to Medicaid and what it covers. And Medicaid is based on income and other eligibility criteria.

Nursing home or ALF care is obviously a huge expense for anyone. Home care, on the other hand, costs significantly less per person. I approximate it costs about $1,500/month or $18,000 per year per person or so for part-time help. Cost of me helping my parents out? $0.

Last year, I contacted every single elder care government agency our State about their cases. It took a year, but in January dad received some home care benefits of 12 hours a week. Mom's case is still on a waiting list and it's likely to stay on the waiting list. There's apparently a freeze in State funds and it looks like it's going to continue. If mom is granted services, she will only receive about the same 12 hours of home care a week or so, I imagine. And since there are more hours per week than 24 hours, they will need more care as time and their conditions continue to deteriorate. And I will need help down the road to help them. 

My dad's wish has always been to stay in his home with his wife forever and mom can't be without dad for more than a couple of hours without asking for him, even in her condition. Placing them anywhere isn't an option for me.

In fact, I've seen those nursing homes that are government-subsidized. Some are clean and well-run and some are, well, let's just say, very disturbing, and almost in the most shockingly horrific way. 

So, I'm asking the public to help them and I'll see to it that they receive quality care in their home as they have wished. The fundraising amount will cover 3 months of part-time certified CNA care for them at home.

Since I want to develop a means for creating an income for their care, I decided to create a nursery and garden. I love plants. I've always grown them in my home but now I want to grow plants for a good cause. With any money over the fundraising goal, I'd like to use the funds to build it. This garden will have fruit trees, succulents and perennials for the most part. My goal is to generate funds raised from the nursury sales to benefit their care and keep mom and dad in the familiar settings of their home (which is where they have always wanted to be).

All amounts are appreciated. If you have any information or would like to leave me a comment, please do so.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

Pia

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US$0.00
raised of $4,000.00 goal
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No more donations are being accepted at this time. Please contact the campaign owner if you would like to discuss further funding opportunities