Like many people, I never knew how frustrating and challenging the services available to seniors and adults with disabilities can be until I experienced them myself, as the adult child of an elderly parent. It was this experience that led me to form, along with my partners, the Stay at Home America vision.
It happened a few years ago, when my father was living alone in North Dakota, after my mother had passed away. He wanted to remain in his house, surrounded by his memories and all that was familiar to him. At that time, my dad was 77, but seemed like a much younger person. Although he had health issues, he could live at home with some help. My sister and I put in place a plan in which our dad received at least four telephone calls each week to check up on him. I helped him set up a support network, including a county nurse who would visit him monthly to identify health needs and assess his ability to live independently. Unfortunately, I was living 1,400 miles away in Portland, Oregon, making oversight difficult.
After a few months living like this, my dad called to say he needed help. I returned to North Dakota to see a man who looked like he was in his mid-eighties. The nurse had thought he was doing so well she stopped seeing him. In that short time period his health had failed significantly.
We moved him to Portland and found a small apartment in a retirement facility. I visited him almost every night to ensure he was eating and that his needs were being met. My dad had become my son. He had become a major obligation, in addition to my family and my business. The extensive help dad required greatly impacted my time with my wife and children. No one was happy.
I hired a caregiver to help my dad with daily needs and to ensure he ate properly. This reduced the pressure on my family and, most importantly perhaps, allowed me to have a relationship with my dad as my dad. All was going well until one day I found that the caregiver had decided to involve her daughter without discussing it with me. I was not pleased but I did not want to make any changes that could upset my dad. However, I soon realized the caregiver had achieved too much control over my father, taking certain liberties with writing checks and other things that gave us concern.
I continued to help him pay his bills and take him to his medical appointments. My sister and I had an agreement that dad should be in control as long as possible. Dad signed all of his checks right up to the end. This was important in that it helped him to know he was in control and maintained his dignity.
It was during this period that I became interested in issues related to seniors and people with disabilities. I heard many stories about service providers who victimized vulnerable people. In some cases, caregivers move in, take control, and take large sums of money. I heard about seniors writing the caregiver into their wills and writing their families out. Other scams include contractors telling seniors they need major repairs, such as a new roof. They take a deposit and never return. I wanted to make a difference in these people’s lives.
Beyond the challenge of providing decent care and protection for seniors and adults with disabilities, these types of problems put tremendous pressure on adult children who are balancing their families of their own and their careers. I wanted to develop a model that reduced family tension and delivered the services that enable seniors or adults with disabilities to remain in their homes with safety, dignity and confidence. It needed to include controls and safeguards to protect the client. And, above all else, I wanted to create a business culture based on respect, integrity, and objectivity.
Bruce Markusen
The Genesis of Stay at Home America
Like many people, I never knew how frustrating and challenging the services available to seniors and adults with disabilities can be until I experienced them myself, as the adult child of an elderly parent. It was this experience that led me to form, along with my partners, the Stay at Home America vision.
It happened a few years ago, when my father was living alone in North Dakota, after my mother had passed away. He wanted to remain in his house, surrounded by his memories and all that was familiar to him. At that time, my dad was 77, but seemed like a much younger person. Although he had health issues, he could live at home with some help. My sister and I put in place a plan in which our dad received at least four telephone calls each week to check up on him. I helped him set up a support network, including a county nurse who would visit him monthly to identify health needs and assess his ability to live independently. Unfortunately, I was living 1,400 miles away in Portland, Oregon, making oversight difficult.
After a few months living like this, my dad called to say he needed help. I returned to North Dakota to see a man who looked like he was in his mid-eighties. The nurse had thought he was doing so well she stopped seeing him. In that short time period his health had failed significantly.
We moved him to Portland and found a small apartment in a retirement facility. I visited him almost every night to ensure he was eating and that his needs were being met. My dad had become my son. He had become a major obligation, in addition to my family and my business. The extensive help dad required greatly impacted my time with my wife and children. No one was happy.
I hired a caregiver to help my dad with daily needs and to ensure he ate properly. This reduced the pressure on my family and, most importantly perhaps, allowed me to have a relationship with my dad as my dad. All was going well until one day I found that the caregiver had decided to involve her daughter without discussing it with me. I was not pleased but I did not want to make any changes that could upset my dad. However, I soon realized the caregiver had achieved too much control over my father, taking certain liberties with writing checks and other things that gave us concern.
I continued to help him pay his bills and take him to his medical appointments. My sister and I had an agreement that dad should be in control as long as possible. Dad signed all of his checks right up to the end. This was important in that it helped him to know he was in control and maintained his dignity.
It was during this period that I became interested in issues related to seniors and people with disabilities. I heard many stories about service providers who victimized vulnerable people. In some cases, caregivers move in, take control, and take large sums of money. I heard about seniors writing the caregiver into their wills and writing their families out. Other scams include contractors telling seniors they need major repairs, such as a new roof. They take a deposit and never return. I wanted to make a difference in these people’s lives.
Beyond the challenge of providing decent care and protection for seniors and adults with disabilities, these types of problems put tremendous pressure on adult children who are balancing their families of their own and their careers. I wanted to develop a model that reduced family tension and delivered the services that enable seniors or adults with disabilities to remain in their homes with safety, dignity and confidence. It needed to include controls and safeguards to protect the client. And, above all else, I wanted to create a business culture based on respect, integrity, and objectivity.
This was the genesis of Stay at Home America.