My name is Laura & I live with/take care of my 77 year old dad. This is something I never wanted to have to do, but unfortunately we have no other options.
On July 2nd, 2016…everything changed for us. My mom sadly passed away very suddenly & unexpectedly from pneumonia. She was only 52. It was only a few weeks before my 27th birthday. Before then, my dad was already getting to the point where he started to need some assistance (he even retired early from his factory job of 20+ years a few years prior because he was getting to where he couldn’t work a standing up job anymore), although it wasn’t nearly as bad as it is now. But at the time, mom & I could share the responsibility. With her gone, it all fell on me. I work full time while also taking care of him. He needs hip & knee replacements, but due to other health issues, he can’t have surgery as he was told he wouldn’t make it through. I’m on intermittent FMLA at work so I can help take him to doctor appointments or stay home with him as needed when he’s having a bad day getting around, but the one thing that offered him some sense of independence was his mobility scooter. He invested in that & a lift for the van after my mom passed, so that he could have a better quality of life. He was tired of having to rely on electric carts at the grocery store, which places don’t always have available either due to not having them at all, people using them that don’t need them, them not being charged enough, etc. Also, when we go to our state fair every year, before having his own scooter, he had to pay an extra $100 a day to rent one at the fairgrounds. After having his own, that was one less expense. He was also able to go more places in general for that reason. He enjoys just being able to get out & look at things, even at the grocery store. If there’s no electric carts available, he has to stay in the van while I shop. Before mom died, there were times we also had to go places without him because he couldn’t walk far. After he got his scooter, he was able to do more things & experience life more. Him & I even went on more vacations together, as he was able to go more places.
Sadly, a month ago, the van lift for the scooter decided to stop working. We finally took it to the place he had it installed to have it looked at for an estimate on how much it would be to fix. That’s when we found out that the motor on the lift is broke & the lift he has is obsolete, so they can’t replace the motor because it’s not made anymore. He would have to get a whole new lift put in, which would cost $6,300. His insurance won’t help cover the expense, as he doesn’t need the scooter in the house, only when he’s out & about. This means it would have to be an out of pocket expense, which he can’t afford. His only option would be to take out a very pricey loan, which he honestly can’t afford to do anyway, but he also doesn’t want to do it at his age & potentially leave me with the expense. He also needs a new battery for his scooter, as it doesn’t hold a charge like it used to, which is another $200 expense.
That’s why I’m hoping someone can open their hearts to help him towards our goal of $6,500. I know times are hard for everyone, & I hate even having to do this, but I don’t know what else to do & I hate seeing my dad so defeated that he just lost part of the independence he’s gained these last several years. There’s already so much he can’t do at his age, & I hate having to see him miss out on doing the few things he can just because he can’t use his scooter anymore. Thank you in advance for helping, or at least spreading the word <3
