Just over 2 years ago, I could not see anything good left in life for me. By way of background, I am lawyer by profession and worked as a government lawyer and a law tutor. I was successful at my job, had my own home, and a comfortable income. After my father's early death (leukaemia), I was faced with the decision of staying put with a job, or moving home to the country without one. Never one to pass up a challenge, I chose the latter option.
This is not the place to go into details, but suffice to say for 17 years everything I touched to bring in an income failed - largely for reasons outside my control. The final failures were due to the growing restrictions imposed by my mom's condition. It was like being thwarted at one turn after another. On top of that, I had lost my capital, and my last attempt at business left me in debt.
There I was living on the dole, with debts to meet, and completely tied to the house looking after my mom. With 2/3 of our income derived from her - her own pension and an army pension of my dad's - I couldn't see how I could afford to keep the lovely place I had moved home to enjoy. I felt I was staring down an endless black tunnel for my future - where had all the promise of my earlier years gone? How was I going to survive if my mom died?
How was I going to survive if she didn't? The land is still in her name because I put my capital into developing a business. In this country and probably in yours too, government has now empowered itself to sieze the property of elderly people going into fulltime care, to offset the cost of keeping them. At the very least if I put her into care, they would impose a caveat on the place and out of their kindness allow me to live there until I die. Isn't that nice? I can tell you - it would be the last straw.
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alzheimers, alzheimers care, dementia, caregiver, alzheimers disease
3 comments:
I admire your courage and your will to make each day the best as you could despite all that happened. Keep strong and stay positive. We are here reading your blogs. Sending all good wishes to you and your mum...
Patricia--It's basically the same where I am. The healthcare industry here in the US has been in bed with the government for ages--making out quite nicely for awhile--but things are changing now that the population is aging and taxing the system. It's ridiculous and totally irresponsible. The government is afraid to change, to "interfere" with the so-called free-market (which really isn't) by regulating profits, which would translate into the drug companies throwing their considerable support toward more sympathetic candidates. And why are the drug companies rolling in money? Because they are given privileges by the federal government that other businesses are not.
Deb Peterson
Bless you all for keeping contact - it makes such a difference. I am amazed how many there are dealing with the same problems - and all over the world, too. There is strength in numbers! Thank you all
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