Success Story

Mr. and Mrs. G have been married for fifty years. Mr. G had a stroke a year ago and Mrs. G, due to her own health problems, was unable to care for her husband. Their daughter, Nancy, took her father into her home, as the family didn't want him to go to a nursing home. His needs were such that Nancy had to quit her job in order to care for him. As a result, Nancy's family lost their health insurance, as her job was the one that had medical benefits. The family is living on less income, but Nancy remains committed to taking care of her father. Since she is now unemployed, she is also helping to care for her mother. Nancy was exhausted and her frustration was spilling over to her relationship with her husband. Nancy called Family Caregiver Alliance in tears, totally overwhelmed. One of FCA's family consultants met with Nancy to discuss her situation. At the end of the interview, Nancy said that she felt much better; no one had listened to HER concerns before. FCA arranged for her to get counseling to deal with the stresses of caregiving and offered her respite so that she and her husband could go away for a weekend to get some rest and nourish their relationship. Nancy has taken a class on taking care of herself as a caregiver and is in the process of taking better control of her caregiving situation.