THE SITUATION:
This group represented a single woman with no children, but she was the sole caregiver to her aging father who was diabetic and disabled. She was healthy, but she had to arrange medical care for her father frequently. His diabetes required him to have insulin shots daily, and the insulin prescription cost her $3 every two weeks. Her father was also legally blind due to the diabetes, so he could not work or leave the apartment alone. His daughter had to get him to and from each of his doctor’s appointments. He had to go to the doctor once a month to have his blood sugar checked. The father had Medicare to help with his medical expenses, but the daugher did not have medical coverage.
The young woman had no car because she coudln't afford the payment, insurance, and gas on her monthly income, so she had to take public transportation to and from work as well as to her father’s doctor’s appointments.
She had a high school diploma and one year of college where she was a work-study student in a position that allowed her to gain the skills necessary to do the work required at her new job. She dropped out of college when her mother died unexpectedly and left her as the sole caregiver for her father. She left town because she wanted a fresh start and the memories of her previous town were too painful for both her and her father.
She left rather abruptly, so she brought with her only the barest of essentials (some clothes, some toiletries, 2 weeks worth of your father’s medication, and a few personal items). She had only $1000 to get herself set up before she got paid for her first month’s work.
She had to begin work within 2 weeks of arriving in town, so time was essential. She had to figure things out pretty quickly.
The young woman had no car because she coudln't afford the payment, insurance, and gas on her monthly income, so she had to take public transportation to and from work as well as to her father’s doctor’s appointments.
She had a high school diploma and one year of college where she was a work-study student in a position that allowed her to gain the skills necessary to do the work required at her new job. She dropped out of college when her mother died unexpectedly and left her as the sole caregiver for her father. She left town because she wanted a fresh start and the memories of her previous town were too painful for both her and her father.
She left rather abruptly, so she brought with her only the barest of essentials (some clothes, some toiletries, 2 weeks worth of your father’s medication, and a few personal items). She had only $1000 to get herself set up before she got paid for her first month’s work.
She had to begin work within 2 weeks of arriving in town, so time was essential. She had to figure things out pretty quickly.
THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET & NOTES:
- RENT
- UTILITIES
- GROCERIES
- PHONE
- TRANSPORTATION
- DOCTOR'S VISITS/MEDICINE
- TOTAL
- $540.00
- $INCLUDED IN RENT
- $100.00 plus FNS Aid
- $35.00
- $36.00
- $12.00 with MEDICAID ASSISTANCE
- $723.00
| Group 5 Preliminary Budget & Notes |
LIFE'S CURVEBALL:
The job is going great, and the woman and her father have been quite happy with theri decision to move. Not long after they move into their new apartment, however, the father trips coming into the front door. He breaks his hip.
The father cannot come home from the hospital with his daughter because he needs constant, around the clock care for the next 3 months while he heals. The hospital staff has helped the daughter find a short-term nursing facility for the next 3 months, but, even with the father's Medicare, it will cost her $150 a month. This is his best option, so his daugher takes it and helps him get settled in for his 3 month stay.
The daughter likes the facility enough, but she is horrified by the stories of elder abuse that she's heard from family and friends, so she vows to make sure her father is properly taken care of. She tried to visit every day of the week and on the weekends to ensure he is getting the best quality of care.
She also has to find some way to accommodate the extra $150 expense each month. She’ll see a significant change in her daily schedule, too.
The father cannot come home from the hospital with his daughter because he needs constant, around the clock care for the next 3 months while he heals. The hospital staff has helped the daughter find a short-term nursing facility for the next 3 months, but, even with the father's Medicare, it will cost her $150 a month. This is his best option, so his daugher takes it and helps him get settled in for his 3 month stay.
The daughter likes the facility enough, but she is horrified by the stories of elder abuse that she's heard from family and friends, so she vows to make sure her father is properly taken care of. She tried to visit every day of the week and on the weekends to ensure he is getting the best quality of care.
She also has to find some way to accommodate the extra $150 expense each month. She’ll see a significant change in her daily schedule, too.
THE REVISED BUDGET & NOTES:
- RENT
- UTILITIES
- GROCERIES
- PHONE
- TRANSPORTATION
- MEDICATION
- REHABILITATION FACILITY
- TOTAL
- $540.00
- INCLUDED IN RENT
- $100.00
- $35.00
- $36.00
- $12.00
- $150.00
- $873.00 (Leaving only $63.00 at the end of each month)
| Group 5 Revised Budget & Notes |
FINAL EVALUATIONS:
There are horror stories on the news all the time about elder abuse in nursing homes. Elders are neglected, beaten, over/under-medicated, stolen from, and assaulted much too often. Nursing homes can blame this epidemic on understaffing and unqualified personnel, but the sad fact is that this type of abuse happens more often in homes caring for low-income patients. Many times, low-income families have no choice as to which home cares for their loved ones. They are limited to the homes mandated by the government assistance they receive.
Low-income families suffer from several other such indignities; for example, affordable housing is often located in high-crime areas or in remote locations, legal representation for and costs of minor infractions (like speeding tickets, underage drinking, drug possession, etc.) are often expensive and difficult to obtain, and substandard health care is unfortunately the norm.
In this group’s evaluation, the students had to address this issue by commenting on the following:
Discuss these indignities and the effects they could have on low-income families.
Their comments follow:
Low-income families suffer from several other such indignities; for example, affordable housing is often located in high-crime areas or in remote locations, legal representation for and costs of minor infractions (like speeding tickets, underage drinking, drug possession, etc.) are often expensive and difficult to obtain, and substandard health care is unfortunately the norm.
In this group’s evaluation, the students had to address this issue by commenting on the following:
Discuss these indignities and the effects they could have on low-income families.
Their comments follow:
A few indignities that low wage workers may encounter are things such as affordable housing often located in high-crime areas and not being able to make decisions for yourself, relying on “the system” to make them for you. Living in a high-crime area only adds to the many stresses of living in poverty. People living in poverty tend to be upset about the situation they are in, and they can become depressed, which affects their motivation to do more. “The system” often treats them differently from others who are not living in poverty, and they either take what they can get from government handouts or allow their situation to become even worse (by becoming homeless or turning to crime).
Our group dealt with a disabled father, who was placed in a nursing home that had a history of mistreating their residents, but because he was placed there by the government there was nothing his daughter could do except visit him frequently to make sure that he was doing well and being treated well. This part of our experience was upsetting, even as a hypothetical situation. To know that this often happens in real life, where people have to make difficult decisions and watch the outcome of it all and hope that it’s the right thing to do, is quite depressing.
Our group dealt with a disabled father, who was placed in a nursing home that had a history of mistreating their residents, but because he was placed there by the government there was nothing his daughter could do except visit him frequently to make sure that he was doing well and being treated well. This part of our experience was upsetting, even as a hypothetical situation. To know that this often happens in real life, where people have to make difficult decisions and watch the outcome of it all and hope that it’s the right thing to do, is quite depressing.
