5 Steps.....

In July my 86 year old father was hospitalized for what they thought was congestive heart failure and now believe to be lung cancer. Arriving at the hospital to visit him, my 91 year old step mother was in a freak accident and broke her shoulder, 4 ribs and her thumb - as well as being badly bruised. They shared a hospital room for two nights and then returned home to 24/7 caregiver assistance. With that, my education on aging in place began.

Dad returned home to hospice care. He is visited at home by a doctor, a nurse and a social worker. We have oxygen on site and he will receive a wheel chair, a hospital bed and whatever else might be needed. Dad is regaining his strength. He is able to walk their dog Heidi to the front grass and go to the curb to get the mail. Getting Dad to a doctor would be inconvenient, but very doable.

Peggy - older, much more frail and very seriously injured - does not qualify for home care. There is a physical therapist who comes to the house weekly, but we are expected to get her to any number of doctors appointments. Right now, they want us to get her from Santa Clarita to Panorama City for an x-ray of her thumb and for a bone density test. Peggy can barely get to the bathroom with a walker and assistance. The concept of getting her to maneuver out of their home, down 5 steps and into the car is absurd - and far too risky. 

The 24/7 care giver is private pay. On one hand, I'm astonished that $175 a day is enough to hire someone to live in your home and be on call around the clock. But on the other hand, $1,225 is a stretch on a fixed income. Their savings will go quickly. So additional expenses need to be carefully considered.

5 steps mean that a care giver and a daughter cannot safely get Peggy to the doctor. An ADA compliant ramp to cover the steps would cost thousands of dollars. Impractical when she is likely weeks or a few months away from being able to maneuver with assistance. 5 steps mean that we need to use a transport service for these appointments - $260 dollars for the round trip, and with multiple doctors,  there can easily be one a week. 

This week we just said no. She's not ready. The appointments are not worth the stress. They'll have to wait.

We have a large population of aging boomers. As we build new housing, it is time to think about how we should build to support aging in place.