Man And Accident Disabled Wife Seek Financial Independence With Dignity
by Steve Kenton
I will use my wife as an example. Sharon had a terrible accident at home, she fell down the stairs and hit the back of her head. I called the nurses hotline for advice and they said to call an ambulance, so I did and they took her to emergency where she had an x-ray done. After a while the doctor came into see her and explained that there was nothing broken, so he sent her home with some painkillers. Seeing her lying on the couch for three more days in pain and complaining about headaches, I decided to take her back to emergency at the hospital. After we waited patiently for about six hours, a doctor finally saw her with the x-rays taken three days earlier. He told us that she had a cracked skull and fractured vertebrae in her neck. He then told us that she was being admitted to a ward. Instead of doing the obvious borehole through the skull to let the pressure out, they just watched her and gave her painkillers for three more days. I received a phone call early Monday morning telling me that they were going to perform an emergency operating procedure and she may die from it. Thank the Lord that she pulled through, but not without complications. Sharon was put into an induced coma while recovering in ICU. She had lost much of her use of her left side due to a stroke. She also lost her sense of smell, taste and much of her eyesight. Her memory took a real bad turn as well; she has permanent short-term and long-term loss. Her eyesight and balance have also been greatly affected, possibly from the stroke. After some rehab in the hospital for nine months, they had come up with some options for her. They both involved a care facility, as she would need a nurse to administer medications. There was never a day that I would not go to the hospital to see her. Sharon went to a healthcare facility, but we could not handle that, because of her young age (42), as well as the environment. At the healthcare facility, she was not in a place where she would be loved and be in familiar surroundings with loved ones close and able to connect with on a regular basis. She came home as quick as I could pick her up. I continued to rehabilitate her at home, mostly by repetition of daily activity. It has been a full-time venture. What I can’t understand and never will is why the government has decided to institutionalize people with disabilities to private care facilities for a large fee, especially if they need a nurse. I can understand that there are circumstances that would make home care impossible, such as their partners being too old or incapable of home care. I think that this issue should really be in the forefront of all governments responsible for care. In the private care homes, the fees are up to $6500 a month. Home care would cut the cost by half. I know firsthand how this has affected us, and I don’t believe that it is fair practice. I feel as though the governments are lobbied by these private care facilities in some way. I feel that there should be some type of criteria that people would have to meet to qualify for home care funds, as I could imagine that it would be abused tremendously. I believe the government agaancies in charge could replace the current $1300 a month they give my wife with a home care subsidy of around $3500 per month. That would be enough for most people to care for their loved ones without losing their homes and dignity. Other than the above story, we would love to start up a cookie company, but obviously we would need a grant to help do this. We have a perfect business plan that would help us get back on the road of independence. If you wish to see the business plan and the projected income, I would be more than happy to forward it to interested parties.
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