Last post Mon, Jan 28 2008 5:44 PM by Wheelin Rev. 7 replies.
Dear Friends,
This is my second attempt to compose here. Not real sure what happened to the first. So if this is review, please forgive me.
I'm a 55 year-old male with a wife in a wheelchair with Cerebral Palsy and a mother-in-law living with us who is also wheelchair-mobile. We've been married for 13 years and hosting her mother for eight of those years. I had some trouble logging in and registering with Disaboom, but I think I've finally gotten it done.
The three of us have been living together successfully through three moves and three job changes. Over this time, I like to think of us as a model of what hosting a disabled relative in peace and harmony can be. This is the first site I've visited for the disabled that didn't ask me first to send money in order to participate, and thanks for that.
Living in harmony is not our issue. Essentially, money is. I have a full time job in addition to assisting these two beloved disabled women. My wife can't work (long story) and my mother-in-law is a retired teacher on disability. My wife's mother contributes to the household finances but we are still struggling to get from one end of each month to the other.
I like to think we have a wealth of information to share about the whole shared-assistive-household experience, but would like to find some way to get compensated for helping others find answers to problems inherent in this living situation. When my mother-in-law moved in, there were eight million households in America where a disabled relative resides with family members. That number has grown to 34 million in the last eight years, and I bet it's still going up.
I'd be very interested in ideas you might have, or to get a feel for how many questions you have about how we do it. I happen to belive that there aren't five people in my state (Oregon) who could put up with all the stuff I do. Since there are five million people here. Do the math, that makes me one in a million. I can't help thinking that if I could bottle this and sell it, I could quit my night job. I work nights so that I can be what the ladies need during the day.
Anyhow, I'd like some input from you all about my situation. I can't wait to hear from you.
Jonathan
Hi Jonathon. And welcome to Disaboom. Unfortunately I don't really have any input for your situation, as I am basically living on food stamps and settlement money, but is your wife able to get Disability checks? Or even food stamps? I'm not sure of anything else at the moment, but if I can think of something I'll post again. Kevin.
Hi Jonathan and welcome. Sorry I don't have any input either, I just wanted to welcome you. I know how rough it is though. Right now I'm living off the child support I get from my daughter and the 12-14 hours a week that I'm allowed to work. I hope someone can help you better.
~Jen
Jonathan,
Welcome to Disaboom. I have an Electrical Engineering degree and wanted to say...
What you need is an Analog to Digital (A/D) Converter!
Seriously, hang around and I'm sure you will be able to add to the discussions. Thanks for your detailed intro too!
Dave
Hey Dave
I'm Civil Engineering
Joe
cudachaser:I'm Civil Engineering
I'll try not to hold that against you. LOL
Dear Wheelin' Rev,
Of all the responses I've gotten, yours felt the best to read. I thought I'd really found my funnybone when i declared myself to be analog. You show the potential to laugh at the world using your education to its full effect. I'm betting old electronic devices sometimes need an a/d converter, which is perfect. You don't have to get too deep into electrical engineering before you start teaching me stuff. But anyhow, I'm starting to really appreciate the kind of user Disaboom puts me in touch with. Thanks for the chuckle. We'll talk again, I'm sure.
JB
JonathanBlake:I'm starting to really appreciate the kind of user Disaboom puts me in touch with.
Thanks for the comment. I'll be looking forward to future chats with you and I'll try to remember not to introduce too many quantum physics or ordinary differental equations analogies either. LOL
Have a great week!
