Sometimes our staff wants to share a personal story about someone who affected them. Magdalena, a healthcare program coordinator, does the first entry in what we hope is a series about a few of the many memorable people that our direct care staff have had the pleasure to serve. Today we have the story of Marco, a tough octogenarian.
Magdalena Klodnicka pictured in the image below.
Marco was always very healthy. He worked 8-10 hours a day for many years, and he also went to school at night to learn English properly. He took it very seriously. You see, Marco always wanted to get ahead in life and do everything right. Marco hasn’t had an easy life. Born in rural Italy right before the Second World War, he started doing chores on his father’s farm when he was four years old. As the oldest of seven children, he needed to be strong, and there were no excuses when the farm work needed to be done. Thankfully, he was a strong and physically fit young boy. Getting up at the crack of dawn to feed animals, carrying food to the workers and helping his uncle out in the stables were his daily duties. It was not easy to make ends meet and everybody had to pitch in. To say that Marco grew up poor would probably be an exaggeration, and he does not want to talk about it when asked. Today, at the age of 80, he has had a long and difficult but fulfilling life. When he was 31, he immigrated to America and, as he boastfully says, the very next day, he started working in construction.
All was going well for Marco, and after he retired, he enjoyed his days riding bike for hours every day. In his late seventies, he was still in excellent shape. He had an exercise routine every day because he valued his health. Marco was also a great cook, and he made everything from scratch. He was very cautious about using only natural ingredients, and he thought he would live in good health forever.
On July 22nd, 2016, everything changed for Marco. He was feeling somewhat under the weather in the morning, but insisted on completing his regular biking routine and even drove to his doctor for a checkup, just in case. When he got back home, he was very confused and had trouble walking, especially up the stairs. Something was happening to this strong, fit man, and his sister took him to the hospital. After waiting there for hours and doing several tests, they could not find anything wrong with Marco and sent him home. Unfortunately, something was wrong, and the next day the family went to a neurologist with him. As soon as the doctor saw him, he ordered him to go back to the hospital. By that time, Marco could barely walk. The tests determined a massive stroke.
After long weeks in the hospital and several rehabs; on a beautiful September morning, he was finally able to go home. It was a very joyous occasion. Unfortunately, the Marco that left the house two months prior to seek medical help was not the same Marco that came back. Gone was the strong, alert and opinionated man he used to be. He sold his bike and his car. He will never drive or go on the trail, so why store them. Let someone else use them. He has a walker now, and a wheelchair that he uses most of the time. He also has 24 hour care, and fortunately, he is able to live in his home. However, not like he lived before. Marco can only live on the first floor because he can’t climb the stairs to his beautiful apartment that is now rented. He misses cooking his meals and going out with his friends for a glass of wine or two. Most of all, he misses exercising. Thankfully, he has truly wonderful aides who take him places and take good care of him.
People like Marco often find themselves at a loss when a life changing event takes place. For example, most people don’t realize that in order to receive home care services, you need to have Medicaid coverage if you don’t have long term care insurance. It can be very costly. Before his stroke, all he needed was his Medicare and supplemental insurance to cover his doctors and prescriptions. After the stroke he needed more, much more. Marco has adult children, who helped him every step of the way. But many seniors are alone or their families live far away. Marco reached out to us and we went to his home to begin the Medicaid enrollment
It took Marco a little over a month to get approved for Medicaid, and then he had to find home care. Marco is one of the lucky ones. He had the medical care and support he needed to survive the hurdles he faced. But it is his resilience and optimism that makes him memorable to me. He always says he is a stubborn Italian. Sometimes being stubborn is definitely the way to be.
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WDOMI was also lucky to be able to give the type of services that Marco needed when he needed it. Thanks to our ICAN and FE-ABD programs, Marco and his family got the healthcare needed in time without having to pay exorbitant fees. We assisted him with bill disputes, setting up pooled trust for Medicaid spend-down and getting the right amount of hours for his aides. AND ALL OUR PROGRAMS ARE FREE.
Even though disability changes a person’s life forever, there is a lot of help available to deal with it.