Caring for Mom, Fighting for Change

My 83-year-old mother’s need for a caregiver was abrupt and unexpected. Shortly before the pandemic, Leatha had checked herself into a nursing home in another state. However, we later discovered that she had been placed under an unnecessary guardianship and was being charged close to $9,000 a month—not the $2,500 a month anticipated.

After nearly a year in the facility, my sister Lori uncovered the financial discrepancies. She took on the nursing home in court. With determination and the help of legal counsel, she navigated a complex process to resolve the situation. Eventually, we were able to bring our mother to Ohio, where she has lived with me since late 2020.

As a caregiver who works full time, I have the help of my two sisters and know I’m one of the lucky ones. While I’m at work, Lori comes by during the day and handles most of the doctor’s visits and all of the paperwork — bills, Medicare, taxes and Social Security, etc. My sister Alexis visits when she can and helps when we take our mother on outings.

I can’t imagine being able to support my mother emotionally and financially without their support. The transportation they provide for my mother (she does not have a car or a driver’s license) and the diversions they create for her all take time, money and energy.

Yet I know there are many people caring for a loved one with much less support than I have, which is why I am pleased to see that the U.S. Congress and the Ohio Legislature are considering bills that would provide a tax credit to those who meet certain income criteria.

Right now, my mother is still quite independent and able to tend to her own personal needs unaided, but I know the day will come when that won’t be the case and we’ll need the support of an in-home caregiver.

A tax credit would help defray some of the costs for in-home help or access to senior centers, where people like my mother would have a safe and convenient place to be if I or one of my sisters aren’t able to be with her.

We hear that Ohio wants to protect families, but what does that really mean?

To me, it means giving support and assistance to family caregivers — many of them single-income women with children of their own — who are doing this difficult but necessary and worthwhile work. These caregivers should not be overburdened for doing the right and loving thing.

Societies are judged by how they treat those who are vulnerable. Building and preserving strong, multigenerational families strengthens us all.