Al’s Card Update

I have had a few ask about your address and I have sent the required information. Another blogger…

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Al’s Card Update

I have had a few ask about our address and I have sent the required information. Another blogger suggested a brilliant idea. Since Al is becoming confused and forgetful, sending a small photo of yourself or who ever is sending the card would be fantastic.

I am going to get a poster board and tack up all the cards and hopefully matching picture/photos beside each card.

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One Last Time

I wanted to  provide an update about one of the issues I have been fighting with for a couple of…

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One Last Time

I wanted to  provide an update about one of the issues I have been fighting with for a couple of months. It is about Al and the huge bill at the nursing home.

He was over the limit by a few dollars which caused a delay for coverage in the beginning of the year. After trying to fight it on my own, I finally got the Ombudsman involved. It took several weeks to get an answer, but I did today.

When he started out with this debt, it was 7,000 dollars. Thanks to you and  hard work on my end I have it down to 4,000 dollars.

The problem is Al is coming home real soon. I found out today he can be home by late next week. It will cost more for groceries, utilities, etc., which will slow down the bigger payments.

The Ombudsman got back with me today. Al does owe the debt, what is left. Once Al is released, they can no longer collect from him, but they can sue me as his guardian. Although, they can not directly make me pay, I will have to find a way for Al to get money to pay it.

The sad thing is; the facility is charging him  60 dollars a month in interest. Hopefully, that amount of interest will go down each month.  I can make payments but I also have to be able to continue his funeral expenses. I have already looked into that through the government and because of the way the policy is written, it is not specified as a funeral, so they will not allot it.

I am coming to all of you once again for help. I have investigated every avenue possible. I know that after going through the legal Ombudsman, this is final. He does owe this, but I am very grateful for all who have helped thus far.

I am asking one more time, can anyone spare a little bit more? I feel so humiliated coming to you but I don’t have any more choices left. I so wish they would excuse the interest, but that is not going to happen.

I will continue to pay as I have been from monies here and there and your help, but I am asking for your help too.

The foundation takes all credit cards and PayPal. If you state it is a gift, there are no charges.

Please forgive me for coming to you on bended knee.

The foundation shows the original bill, which I have already stated is paid down now by 3,000 dollars, but the amount of days is correct for the foundation, which is 20 days.

Thank-you for reading and I just want you to know this plea has not been easy. I am used to finances being paid timely and finances being private. No one wants to hear others problems.

Please go to this link if you would care to help.

http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/too-much-pain-and-too-little-money/55964

Daily Prompt; Decisions, Decisions

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How are you more likely to make an important decision — by reasoning through it, or by going with your gut?

One thing that is usually guaranteed in  life is maturity. Learning from our past mistakes helps us make better decisions later in life.

I started out free and happy. Newly married and no worries. Love blinded to anything in front of my eyes. Every credit card I received in the mail made me feel more and more important.

How easy it was to go to the department stores and whip out my card. Signing my name on the dotted line brought with it more than a heap of pride. The bills did come in at the end of the month.

Now what do I do? I don’t want to have to pay this. I want to go shopping this weekend. I will just pay the minimum due. This way I can still do what I want.

Wow did I learn my lesson quickly. After a few months of my routine my bubble was busted when I maxed out my two cards. I had wept into my own hands for being so stupid. I was going to  have to pay and remember this mistake for years to come.

Now many years later and the cards paid off I have learned a different way to make decisions. I ask myself, do I need this? Can I live without it? Can I wait until it goes on sale or on the clearance rack?

When I enter a store now I don’t stop and gawk at the front row of goodies. I actually head for the back where the clearance racks sit. Even in grocery stores there are sales constantly, but we have to look for them.

The eyes behind the scenery are much smarter than we give them credit for. It is intentionally planned that the highest priced and the newest products are placed at eye level. We see this first and we dive in for it.

What we don’t see is that two shelves down is the same product in a store brand label for a much lower price. I find this to work in almost any type of store that you can use cash or credit.

With caring for my brother I have not worked for some time. Money is a valuable element in my life but I have to make excellent decisions so I don’t end up being number one on the redial of a collection agency.

If it is a high-priced item I know I need I sleep on it for maybe a few days. I scan the internet and the paper ads for the best bargains. I talk to people and get their thoughts on professionals that won’t try to take advantage of a single person on a limited income.

Eventually I do come to the decision. If I don’t know the answer I still wait. I learned this from my Mom. She always said, if you can’t figure out the right move, wait, because you could be digging yourself in a big hole.

My mom was a wise woman. If I would have thought of this when I was in my twenties I wouldn’t have spent years paying off high interest credit cards. Thanks Mom, it finally kicked in.

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Daily Prompt; Imperfection

Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michelangelo

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/   DP, Daily Prompt

Imperfections — in things, in people, in places — add character to life. Tell us about an imperfection that you cherish.

 

I used to be ashamed of myself because I was not the life of the party. I do admit that I used to laugh and giggle a lot more, but things change about yourself as you move through the months and years.

Now thanks to writing I have learned to accept my imperfection which is nothing other than Weird. What is the definition of weird?

fantastic; bizarre: a weird get-up.

Archaic. concerned with or controlling fate or destiny.

I think that writers and artists such as Michelangelo are thinkers more than doers. Our brains are not following the patterns of others. We day-dream, we think about our future.

Instead of thinking about what is for supper we may be wondering why people take so much advantage of the elderly or even the disabled as I wrote about earlier today in Reverse Mortgage.

I can remember when my Dad died and Al was on  his own for a short while. I was shocked at the credit cards he had in his wallet. I knew he could not handle them at all. He has never understood the full capacity of money.

He was in debt too. He owed great amounts on these cards. I would call the companies and explain his mental challenge and disabilities, but they didn’t give a hoot. He owed, he applied for the card, so tough.

All Al had to do is get the mail. There were tons of junk mail advertising of course, for credit cards. Al would fill out the basic information and send it in. Yippee, they would send him a card.

I tried talking to the mail delivery system to stop sending junk mail in his name but they didn’t cooperate with me either. For quite a while I spent time teaching money management with him but it didn’t work. I had to end up paying off all his cards.

There are times when I wish my brain thought for the moment I live in. Oh what fun I could be having not thinking farther ahead. I could go out and date anyone I wanted to. Why worry about getting a disease or being dumped, I was having fun for the minute.

I dream about starting groups to help teach others. I see the lack of this or that in our society and dream about fixing it. Believe it or not I have pictured myself as a famous pianist or singer. I am a dreamer and I like to control my future. I like to control my fate.

So I am a little bizarre I guess and a little not normal. I think too much. I wonder what it would be like to not be a thinker. Would I be able to write like I do? Probably not, I would probably be telling you something silly about nothing.

Being weird has made me unique. I am not just a caregiver but a helper in my own small way. I sort of like being the wall flower. I don’t have to have my phone ringing off the hook. I just need it to ring sometimes.

I don’t have to be the bell of the ball. I may just pick up a beach ball and try to figure out how they got it so perfectly round and wonder what the machine looks like that made it.  Then after I toss it around for a while I may go to the beach with it and give it to some kids. Then I would pull out my camera and take photos of these kids running and laughing chasing it around the park.

I would take notice of the lonely lady sitting by herself and I would wander over to her and sit next to her and start a conversation. I most likely would take some photos of wildlife and the delicate petals starting to bloom on the flowers.

Yeah, I like not being normal or maybe even a little weird.

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Without You Life Would Be Harder

2004 07 15 – State College – Mail to Self (Photo credit: thisisbossi)

My body and mind are tired today from yesterday’s adventures, but I am trying hard to find the good in today, so I wanted to just touch base on a couple of things.

I have decided to write the letters to the two aunts, having Al tell me what to say, then I will mail them with no return address. This way, I don’t have to be hurt anymore and I have done as Al wished.

Al and I do not know when he is going to pass on to heaven, but I tend to follow Al’s lead. He believes he is, and who am I to tell him he could be wrong. With all of the information I have googled, I find that Parkinson’s patients can live for several years in Al’s condition. For Al’s sake I hope this is not his case.

You may ask why I even went to see Julie, the sister, and the same reason is above stated, because Al feels like his time is near. I try to put myself in his shoes. If I could not drive anymore, or was no longer able to write, I would feel so frustrated that someone, who thinks they know more, would not help me finish what I think needs tended to at the end of my days.

Today, I got up because Al’s shower girl was to be here. I felt terrible in general. I think it is the emotional stress taking over. I actually came out on the couch and slept once again. Now, I am awake but feel like I have been drug through a mud bath. Moving along but in slow motion. With God’s help and the wonderful comments made by you, I will be back on top in no time at all.

So, I am taking it easy, and maybe tonight, I will write a fictional story, or add something to Al’s journey for you. If not hopefully tomorrow.

One good thing I have to add for this day, is the credit card was found! It ended up being on the floor board between the seats of my son’s truck. This was a comfort to me, although, I knew no one could use it, it is comforting to know it is now cut and in the trash.

Al is having an excellent day. He has bounce in his walk and I have heard no complaint of pain from him. I did tell him that I talked to Julie, and that she hadn’t changed from before. I told him, we would write a letter together to the two aunts, tonight after dinner.

So a few good things I have found today.

I want to thank each one of you for your comments, your words of comfort. You do so much for me and help me to keep standing. Each of you I have taken into my heart and you have become dear friends to me.

I am going to do nothing really today, just continue to heal. I can’t help but get angry at myself, that I would let another human being do this damage to me, but I am trying to improve.

God bless each one of you. I love you all.

All In Two Hours

A credit card, the biggest beneficiary of the Marquette Bank decision (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have to share this short story because it really is funny now that it is over. I don’t get a chance to write too many funnies, so I am grabbing this one.

As you all know, my roof was being replaced by a brand new black roof this week! Also, at four this afternoon, it was completed. I wanted to jump up and down for joy. I wanted to eat a popsicle like a child, do somersaults in the yard, go ride a bike! The freedom of having it over was huge! No more men on my roof, no more pounding of hammers and noisy air compressors, nail guns. It is quiet now. Tomorrow, I won’t be jumping up and down, as I have to go outside and clean up the last of the mess on the ground, more bending over. Maybe I will have lost a whole inch in the waist from doing this for four days in a row.

So, the men are done, and they are paid. I had to get the air gun back to the store I rented it from by five. I paid so much for the first twenty-four hours, and then when ever the store was open for business, they also charged me so much per hour I had it. I ended up having it an extra eighteen hours, and this gave me a bill of eighteen dollars. I wasn’t in shock over it, but it was still enough with the beginning they charged first.

I went to pay for it on my charge card, when I took the nail gun back, and I could not find my card. I carefully looked through my cards a couple of times, but no card. I glanced behind me to see if I was holding anyone up and there wasn’t anyone. I looked in other places in my purse where I keep cards I don’t use very much, but nothing. I then became a little agitated and embarrassed because I couldn’t find this card. I dumped my purse on the counter, and everything fell out, including empty mint wrappers, some loose change, and a dirty kleenex. I stooped to pick up the loose change on the floor and noticed two people in line behind me and they were just watching me and smiling. Oh geesh, I thought to myself, I better find this stupid card, now! Lord, I need your help, like right now? Can you help me find my card? No response, no card, but I did leave the store with a nice cleaned out purse.

I went home and looked through my purse again. You know how it is when you are nervous, you can overlook something, and it was there all the time. Nope, not this time. I looked in drawers, although I never put cards there. I dug through trash cans, nasty, now I have to wash my hands. I looked and shook newspapers. I took off the couch cushions, and saw dirt and crumbs. I didn’t like this, because now that meant it would eat at me until I cleaned out complete couch. I shall put this on my mental notes to do tomorrow. I looked in my receipt drawer. I looked through the packet of receipts for the roof job. No dice! I finally got down on my hands and knees. THIS made Al smile. Never knew it would be that easy to get a smile out of him in this position! I crawled with the flash light looking under all the furniture, but still no card. God hadn’t answered my prayer yet either, so I had to rely on my own smarts. I didn’t want my charge card to land in some criminals hands, so I gave up and called the company and reported it lost or stolen.

The lady was nice, and we chatted for a bit. She told me how she had went to an ATM machine, and took money out but left her debit card lay. She told me the lady behind her was very honest and yelled at her to come back to get her card. We both laughed about that.

We went over my last charges that I knew I had made, and there had been no new ones, and this was good for me. She and I both hinted in different ways that it may be our ages, making us be forgetful. I admitted freely, that it was most possible, as I was so scatter brained anymore, with all of my responsibilities. She cancelled my card, and said I would receive a new one in about ten days. This is alright with me. I had not planned on using it again until I got the new bill paid off.

So all ended well. I found some little toys under the couch, a piece of candy, even a small piece of Christmas wrapping paper, and let me tell you this, I had already moved the living room furniture since Christmas and had swept the entire room, so I don’t know where that Christmas junk came from! I found some dirt in between the cushions, and I made Al laugh, but I never found the card. The lady at the lost and stolen department said that now that she has cancelled it, I will find it. Go figure!!