My sister, age 59, has Alzheimer's disease. It has now reached the point where she can barely speak at all and doesn't recognize her own home. She has anxiety attacks, and this afternoon tried to leave home for the first time, another sign the illness is getting worse.
Her husband has taken extremely good care of her, hiring an in-home care giver, and helping her in every way he can. My information is they have gone through their savings and investments. He would sell their home and find something less roomy but the housing market in Florida is so bad there are no takers at anything like the appraised or assessed value.
Because she is 59 she doesn't qualify for Medicare and since they still have some assets they can't get Medicaid either. She will need longterm care soon, but without insurance coverage for that, they will be bankrupt.
It isn't fair and it isn't right. In this great country, no one should have to go broke to pay for needed medical care. No one should be turned out of the home they worked so many years to afford because of a calamity like this.
That's why I stand with the 99%, and do what I can to help Occupy Colorado Springs. She would too if she knew what's going on.
My cousin Pete is far to the left of me politically and I don't share MOST of the feelings and beliefs of the "occupiers of Wall St." (although I do agree with a few of them). However, this piece DOES highlight a terrible tragedy in our country which is, people and families who "fall through the cracks" through no fault of their own. This is a piece worth reading and thinking about. I don't think this should be a left or right issue, but we ARE to be our brother's (and sister's) keeper in times of trouble...
ReplyDelete