Stories from Caregivers: Naomi from ARIZONA
AZ
Naomi
FROM ARIZONA
I'm writing this letter in response to the AARP ad asking for people to write about their lives as caregivers with family. I do not want pity it has been a blessing to be able to tend to them. It started in 2000 when my husband and I got married I had already been taking care of my mother and grandmother. My husband is a wonderful man to accept me, two children and a mother in law and grandmother. My grandmother had Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. We took care of her for as long as we could. When we could not continue on anymore because at that time we didn't have the medical equipment to help her eat or take her pills we had to put her in a nursing home. It was very, very hard for me to do. She died soon after in a hospital, they let her starve to death. Their justification for this was she became catatonic and would not move anymore. If you were to let a dog starve to death you would be charged with cruelty. But a human"¦what's wrong with this world? Even killers get a shot to put them to sleep"¦? So my mother got real bad also. She has Parkinson's, almost blind and crippling arthritis. She is in a wheel chair and has been for 18 years. She requires around the clock attention. She can no longer help herself at all, from feeding herself, bathroom, everything has to be done for her. She will be 88 this year. My husbands mother moved in with us four years ago. She is a diabetic and has age finding her also. She uses a walker and we drive her to doctors offices. We bought a used handicap van that we found out after purchase had lots of problems. We keep fixing it but there always seems to be another problem, lol. We now have to much invested. My husband is retired Army and has mental issues. He is afraid to leave the house and gets lost and flustered when he does. He was support in Vietnam, supply for desert storm and desert shield he retired in 1992 from fort hood. We have one child left at home. He will be 14 this year. He grew up helping others. We served at a children's home for a year when my mother wasn't so bad. Our son seen that he has so much to be thankful for. He is great with the grandmas and helps anytime I need it. They really are glad he's there. He makes them smile as does my husband. Our home looks a lot like a nursing home with all the equipment and everything set up for handicap. I did get help almost a year ago. AHCCCS in Arizona gave us a helper who comes from 9-230 Monday through Friday. AHCCCS was paying me the same hours for a year or so before also. But I got sick and we were fortunate to get a helper. I traded a car I had to her so she would help me more in the evenings. It will be finished being worked off in the beginning of August. I have to see if she wants anything else I have, lol. I got asthma here in Arizona. At least they think it is. Started last May and continues this day. It's a constant wheezing, congestion and lots of specialists. I'm scheduled for another sinus surgery. I chickened out of bronchoscopy. I will do it if they can't find out what's wrong soon. So my energy is gone with my oxygen. God is the center of our world and gives us the love to share and the means to continue doing His work caring and loving each other. So there is our story. I hope it can help others.
