Stories from Caregivers: Vincent from ARIZONA
AZ
Vincent
FROM ARIZONA
Hello everyone, and thank you for allowing me to tell the story of my mother, Ethel Vincent. I am her eldest son Jeff, and along with my spouse Monica Vincent, we have been caring for Ethel at home for the past year. Ethel is from Boardman, OH, near Youngstown. She is almost 86 years young. I was raised myself in greater Cleveland. Ethel returned to her hometown from Cleveland fifteen years past, in her 70's, to serve as a caregiver for her mother, my grandmother. Monica is from Omaha, NE and the two of us have lived in Goodyear, AZ for the past six years. We have traveled all over, worked all over, but have never experienced anything as challenging as being an at home caregiver for my mother. Ethel suffered a severe ischemic stroke in Jan 2015 while in Ohio. I left my home, my wife, my job, to return to Ohio to oversee her care. Monica eventually joined me in February 2015. Ethel spent two weeks in the ICU, it didn't look like she would survive at the time. She finally became conscious, spent a week in a monitored hospital room, then met the criteria for admittance to a rehabilitation hospital in NE Ohio. She spent four weeks there, then an additional six weeks at a sub-acute facility in Youngstown, OH. She was fed through a PEG tube for most of those 10 weeks, and went through intensive physical, occupational, and speech therapy. The stroke was particularly cruel, having greatly impacted her ability to not only speak, but to live on her own and care for herself, to drive a car, make her own decisions, and in general be independent. My father passed prematurely in his 50s, so Ethel has become extremely self-reliant. The loss of independence has been the hardest to deal with for her. Two weeks after having been at home, Ethel suffered a seizure, which impacted her even more than the initial stroke. Just when we thought she may be able to go back to her own home, she was dealt another blow. We stayed longer in Ohio to care for her, eventually bringing her back to AZ to live with us where we could more closely monitor her care and giver her the support she needs. It has been a very difficult journey, but we are grateful for organizations like AARP, home health care companies, assisted living facilities, etc., and we greatly admire those people that work full time as caregivers. It is an incredible challenge, but it can be incredibly rewarding as well. I know if Ethel was here today with us to assist in typing this story, she would shed a tear of happiness and thanks. Please keep Ethel and all caregivers in your prayers.
