GeneL Needs Our Help!

[MrNoBody]

OK, based on GeneL’s sig; he’s in Orange County just south of LA.
That rules out us MRF members east of the Sierra Nevadas to physically
assist him. As evidenced by the posts, we would all help with financial
help but that is not going to resolve the underlying issues.
What’s not clear, has our friend GeneL contacted local agencies for any
guidance? One thing CA isn’t lacking in is government offices to help seniors.

A quick duckduckgo search gives the following for
Orange County, CA government offices providing Senior Services:
http://www.ocgov.com/residents/financial/seniorasst (Senior Financial Assistance)
http://www.officeonaging.ocgov.com/ (Office on Aging)
http://www.ocgov.com/gov/ (County’s Main Website)

There's many more, too many to list!

Additionally, Gene if you are a Veteran there are literally dozens of organizations
that can help you for free!

Please let us know who you contact and any progress made.

(please excuse my disjointed syntax, it's 0400 and I'm not fully awake.)

[rz]

mikebw wrote:
Gene, I don't mean to come down hard on you, but it almost sounds like you don't want to be helped unless it is the perfect solution that you have come up with in your mind.

This. It reminds me of when he wanted to get a new mac a few years ago. Lots and lots of advice from everyone, but I don't think he ever followed any of it. Gene: have you contacted any of the resources that have been suggested?

[GeneL]

rz, the last thing that I need now is criticism.
Yes, I have spent hours over days and weeks calling agencies and organizations, but all the effort that I made failed to produce a usable result.
On top of the difficulty I've had finding a decent place to live, I have ended up back in the hospital a number of times.
Most recently, when Mavis picked me up from dialysis I managed to walk to the car, sat down and then I have no recollection of what happened next. Mavis told me that as soon as I was seated in the car I began to shake violently. Realizing that something was wrong, she drove me to the hospital. My next recollection was the next day! I was told that I came in with a 103° fever due to pneumonia and a common cold. The entire period from sitting down in the car was a total blank. I have been in the hospital since.
What you may not realize is how very difficult it is for me to find a place to stay and to deal with moving all of my "things" into a suitable place. I can't drive myself to the condo. I can't manage to pack up everything to move it all by myself, especially since I am still dealing with the impairment resulting from my hospital stay. There's so much to do that I just cannot do by myself alone.
It's been suggested that there may be volunteer resources that could fill the gaps in what I need to accomplish, such as moving my possessions out of the condo. I will have to make calls to see if I can find what I need.
In the meantime I am having difficulty with my discharge from the hospital. The case manager never came to see me about where I am supposed to go, until late in the day.
I have to deal with this, so I will continue working on the next steps once my immediate needs are in place.
I've said it before, I am feeling very overwhelmed by what is happening.

[Buzz]

One thing CA isn’t lacking in is government offices to help seniors.

The problem here (in Cali), is that virtually ALL the money is spent lining bureaucrats' pockets, and maintaining the image of helping people. The reality is, that very few of us old and disabled folks ever get any meaningful help. In the absence of family assistance, Gene needs an advocate, or two, or three, that can pester the heck out of the supposed resources, or a seriously big pile of cash to pay people to take care of his needs.

The southern coastal parts of this state are wonderful, as long as you can afford it. There are plenty of factions working to get rid of the poor old-timers that are foolish enough to want to stick around in the face of the adversity the richer, and the overpaid bureaucrats continually create and perpetuate. The best solution may be finding a more affordable area to live, where they can appreciate the wisdom of older folks, not look at them/us with disdain while trying to figure out ways to benefit themselves at the expense of others.
==

[morlock]

I'm sorry. I'm only a couple hours away, but chemo's hitting me pretty hard and I am not able. My father (hoarder) is trying to sell stuff on Craigslist, but even if I was up to it, there is no market for Ebikes held together with duct tape or MG parts.

[Bernie]

GeneL wrote:
rz, the last thing that I need now is criticism.

What you may not realize is how very difficult it is for me to find a place to stay and to deal with moving all of my "things" into a suitable place.

I have to deal with this, so I will continue working on the next steps once my immediate needs are in place.
I've said it before, I am feeling very overwhelmed by what is happening.

Have been lurking here with no answers. GeneL, you are a lovestruck gentleman.
This is what I would attempt.

1) Get well.
2) Your stuff is Mavis's problem.
3) Plan a vacation. Invite Mavis.

[GeneL]

morlock, so many years ago I was diagnosed with melanoma. I was living by myself in Manhattan, my mother having died from cancer and my father had remarried and moved to Denver.
I found myself sitting in front of a surgeon who told me that if I had an operation I might live.
Of course I had the surgery and here I am sixty years later, all the anguish that I felt then long forgotten.
That you could joke about what your father wants to sell on Craigslist reminds me that I have always done my best to keep a sense of humor whenever I I have been faced with difficult times.
I will do my best to keep that thought in front of me as I stumble through my present trials.
What you are going through will not be forgotten by me. Thank you for reminding me to think past my current challenges.

[GeneL]

Bernie and Buzz, I appreciate what each of you wrote. Buzz for the points that you made and Bernie for putting things in perspective.
Thank you!

[Janit]

Surviving to a respectable age on this planet is no picnic.

Many people never realize the depth of the issues involved until they become old themselves, or until they undertake the thankless task of shepherding an elderly relative through a social system that pays lip-service to caring for the elderly, but which largely fails in the implementation.

GeneL, I am sorry for your troubles. It must be a terrible shock to have your life pulled out from under you like this.

You haven't really given us much insight into Mavis' grandchildren. Have you had a good relationship with them in the past, or do they align themselves without question with their mother (Mavis' daughter)?

[deckeda]

Bernie wrote:
1) Get well.
2) Your stuff is Mavis's problem.
3) Plan a vacation. Invite Mavis.

YES!