Hi Merrill, It sounds like you had the perfect set-up 3 times in a row! And your asking us how you should do it?!? I should be so lucky. Why did you leave what sounds like such perfect set-ups?
Dan >On 2/20/07, Merrill Burghardt <<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [EMAIL PROTECTED]> >wrote: > >HOW DO YOU DO IT? > > > >If you do not care to read this in complete, can you share how as a fellow >quadriplegic you live? > > > >To learn what is possible for myself, I watch and speak to as many >quadriplegics how they live, particularly on a low budget paying to get in and >out of bed at that. After rehab when I was first injured, the hospital nor I >knew what to do with me. My family lived 2,000 miles away in Milwaukee. >Moving from California was not at present an option, nor did I want at that >time be the prodigal son I was, to move in this way. Fortunate for me, the >SCI psychologist refused to allow me be discharged to a nursing home. I am >forever thankful to this woman to have given me a standard and the guts to be >creative in how I live. I know nursing facilities are necessary to perhaps >most people at one time or another, so any person at home in such a facility I >mean no disrespect. Contrary, what you have to do, or found, ya have to do it. > > > >My solution was to run an ad in the domestic colomn in a newspaper in an area >I desired to live. The ad read something like, " 38 year old quadriplegic >looking to live with caregiver. Offering (at that time $1,300.)" A woman >with two old enough to work daughters, CNAs themselves were my best choice. >As a new C/5 injury I pretty much broke myself in with my new found injury >survival ways here. This was working out pretty well. > > > >A cousin I had never met started calling me insisting for me to move in with >her in a house she recently bought. After two months of persuasiveness, I >felt if she wanted me bad enough she could have me. So not involving her in >my care outside of meals, could you, would yours, and the sort, I pretty well >cut my teeth on hiring, working with, training, and firing attendants. > > > >After ten years it was time to move on. Again I ran my ad for someone to >adopt me so to speak. Luck again, I moved in with a woman who recently gave >birth, and not wanting to return to work was looking for someone just like me. > Now after seven years I need to move on again. Long story short, how are >other's living? Please share your stories with me direct, or to the list. I >am so interested how others have met the challenge, particularly those on >their own without money. I guess I am looking for encouragement and >creativity. Thank you. > > > >Merrill > ><mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
