|
|
| "Desperation was my inspiration"... |
|
 Your phone rings. It’s the hospital. “Your family member has just come into our Emergency Room…” and so begins a journey of fear and frustration that seems to have no happy ending. More frightening than those words however, are the seemingly premature ones, “Your family member will be discharged today.”
Ask Founder of Our New Journey Anne Ciavaglia McMahon, what led her to establish a sorely needed support program for caregivers. Her response: “desperation was my inspiration.” After speaking with John (referred to her by Anne’s family physician) he expressed his total shock and emotional paralysis with the sudden responsibility of caring for his mother. Anne couldn’t help but come to his aid. She knew that she could share a treasure trove of information, thanks to her many years of professional and personal experiences.
If you or a loved one has been incapacitated by any type of accident or illness, you will understand the anxiety and depression suffered by families throughout America. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it probably will. So many people, just getting by, already struggling with full time work to support their families, suddenly find themselves responsible for the daily, constant, medical care of a loved one.
Dealing with the complicated maze of insurance benefits, physical care needs, home modifications and finding all possible public services can be a full time job in itself. Caregiver or patient, either way, it is overwhelming.
Just ask Yvonne. After suffering a stroke she was helpless- Our New Journey supplied temporary cleaning and homecare, arranged for Meals on Wheels, provided her with a new mattress and helped her to access State services.
Mrs. B. is caring for her husband who is limited to his bed, cannot speak, has a tracheotomy, is fully aware, but totally dependent on his wife’s care. She responded to an article in The Record that highlighted the implementation of Our New Journey. Her insurances would not pay for any skilled nursing care. She expressed her frustration that a generous State administered program, would provide the family with thousands of dollars of equipment, but not the funds needed for home care. Our New Journey put her in touch with affordable, trained caregivers, and recently raised funds to pay for one night of respite care per week.
Suzanne R. was given two weeks to arrange alternative care for her mother, 83, a double amputee, when her mother’s residential care facility was scheduled to close their doors. The limits set by insurance resulted in Suzanne becoming the primary caregiver. Funds were depleted, and a second mortgage was needed to renovate their home to accommodate her mother’s needs. Our New Journey paid for someone to come in to help with showering, along with helping them connect with much needed services such as a caregiver education program, County respite care, and medical equipment suppliers. Suzanne expressed her gratitude, that in addition to all of that, Our New Journey provides a shoulder to cry on.
Our New Journey is comprised of a small group of caring individuals (including John) who have experienced the challenges of being a caregiver and are there to help anyone in need. Services offered include caregiver peer to peer support; individual guidance directed towards understanding personal needs; help with locating available services; and limited financial support for direct care assistance. Volunteers are always needed, as are the funds to help bridge the gap between identifying the service needs with finding the resources to cover the cost.
Our New Journey gives hope to families impacted by the challenges of illness or disability—There is help out there, buried under indecipherable forms, illogical requirements and time consuming voice mail, but most do not know where or how to find it. Our New Journey does.
If you or someone you know could benefit from Our New Journey, please contact Anne Ciavaglia McMahon at 201-884-9123/201-288-2867 or email anne@ournewjourney.org.
|
|
Posted on Tuesday, June 16 @ 14:12:14 EDT by Anne |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Average Score: 5
Votes: 1
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
|---|
| |
|
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
