I have known for a long while now, that the elderly, especially those who live rural remote, have challenges of daily living, that the rest of us take for granted in our daily lives, that we feel we can probably overcome.
Grandma B is an 88 year old woman who lives on the same street as my folks, but a couple miles up the road. It is rural remote Idaho and services are few and far between.
The nearest grocery store (expensive) is 10 miles away, and a more economical one is 30 miles away. Her doctor is 60 miles away, and to top it all off, she doesn't/can't drive. Taxi service is only available from the city 30 miles away and Grandma B couldn't afford it anyway on her $600/month social security check. There is no bus service either. Even the bus service for disabled and elderly in the city is being discontinued. She relies solely on family members for what she needs like groceries, doctors appointments(60 miles away), medications etc. Her family members do not visit her because Grandma B tends to talk your ears off on old stories they have heard a million times before.
Grandma B is bored and lonely most of the time and truthfully she shouldn't be living alone. However neither her family or her own income is enough to afford to go to an assisted living housing situation.
She is in poor health, though she still seems spunky in her personality, but her memory is failing. She told us of an ordeal she faced alone, despite having family members who live close by. She didn't bother calling us, but we would have gladly helped her with her temporary water needs.
On a Tuesday Grandma B's well pump went out. She called her son who lives less than a quarter mile away from her for help. Her grandson and his family also lives about a mile away from her. Her daughter, a school teacher lives about 10 miles away and comes to clean her house and give her a bath every 2 weeks on weekends.
Needless to say, her son didn't help her and neither did her grandson. She either didn't call her daughter or couldn't get a hold of her. Ten days went by before her daughter showed up to clean the house and give her a bath. Grandma B is also forgetful lately and failed to notify her daughter of her lack of water at her arrival. Her daughter soaped her up before trying to turn on the water, so once she found no working water, she had to get as much soap off Grandma B as she could before getting her dressed and in the car to take her back to her home to finish washing her up.
Her son finally got her a new well pump when his sister gave him the 3rd degree for ignoring grandma B's dire situation for so long. Grandma B is still living alone and lonely, but still alive despite the lack of water for so long.
My step-mothers mother Grandma R (age 91) has got it better. At least she is living with my folks and they do take her on outings at least once a week when her health and the weather permits. Even Grandma R has challenges with getting around, and if something happens to my folks she will likely become my responsibility since she and her other daughter don't get along.
I have also been concerned about what happens to Alzheimers patients who can't age in home like what is being required due to the lack of funds of many of those patients. A couple in FL, will soon be having problems with transportation as well due to a lack of public transportation. He has dementia but still drives though probably not for much longer. She is disabled with no legs and doesn't drive. Both are in their 80's. Neither of them can afford assisted living care either, so what will happen to them and people like them?
Will they land on the street after being determined that they are a danger to themselves? Will they land in a substandard nursing home paid for by medicaid for 2 years only to be thrown out when medicaid no longer pays for their stay? Alzheimers care is even more expensive at over 5k a month. Who will pick up that tab? Will he also be one of the 60,000+ homeless seniors with health issues living on the street?
Then there will be/is the problem of people like myself. I'm single and don't have any children. No one will be able to help me out as I age either. Siblings will be of similar ages and likely similar health conditions as well. None of us is likely to be able to afford long term healthcare for ourselves as we age. That is a luxury provided only to the wealthiest tiers of our society.
Congress wants to cut disability payments by up to 20% next year. They would like to do the same to regular SS recipients as well despite the fact that SS, SSI, and SSDI all lose buying power for every year they are either retired or disabled. Rents and taxes, food, heat, transportation and medical costs, etc., always go up more every year than the CPI/COLA provides.
What are some ways that you can think of to help seniors and disabled individuals meet the challenges of growing older and more ill?
Some FB pages dedicated to this issue:
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https://www.facebook.com/... (I admin this one)
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