People often say “I promised her I’d never put her in a nursing home.” or “Dad told me he never wanted to live in one of those places.”

For a variety of reasons, caregivers may choose to care for their older adult at home. And as long as the situation is safe for everyone involved, keeping aging parents at home is a wonderful thing to do (dailycaring.com). Many, if not most Americans prefer to stay in their homes as they age.

Family members take on various roles of supporting loved ones in areas where independence has diminished. These family members are often called ‘caretakers’, but for Asian-Americans, “it is what is expected of us,” she said. “We don’t see it as caregiving in the American definition of caregiving.” (Tanzina Vega, NY Times)

In A Blind Eye (NineStar Press), Drew has taken responsibility for taking care of his grandmother as a customary expectation of his Asian heritage.

Aging in place allows for people to remain in surroundings they are both familiar and comfortable with, but there are also many challenges.

Drew also needs to work, so there are many times where he leaves his grandmother home alone unsupervised, with only Mitzi, the family pet, keeping sentry over the house. Could this be considered abuse if police or Aging Services were to made aware of it? Drew has to work to pay for living expenses for both his grandmother and himself, so what other options does he have?

The costs for assisted living facilities have become increasingly prohibitive.

The Genworth Cost of Care Survey 2018 says that the national median cost for assisted living per month is $4,000, which breaks down to around $133 per day (and adds up to $48,000 per year). To put that into some context, the same survey says a private room in a nursing home will cost around $8,365 a month, which is $278 per day ($100,380 per year). Home health aide services average $127 per day ($45,7698 per year), based on an eight-hour day, 5 days a week (more time-intensive care will likely be more expensive).

Source: Genworth Cost of Care Survey 2017.

Drew is a civil service worker. He is ill equipped to afford this sort of care for his grandmother, even if he were inclined to place her in a treatment facility.

A BLIND EYE (NineStar Press) now available in ebook and paperback wherever you purchase books.