Senior
Stories

Jackie

“I don’t know what I would do without the help of Senior Neighbors and the Go!Bus tickets they send me.”

Jackie, a 75-year-old, legally-blind widow with end stage renal disease lives on a limited fixed income. She lives alone and cooks all of her own meals. Due to cancer, both of Jackie’s kidneys have been removed. To remain healthy, she must travel to life-sustaining dialysis three times a week. Her husband used to drive her to the dialysis appointments. Unfortunately, he passed away and she has no one else in her life to take her to and from dialysis appointments as well as other health-related appointments.

Fortunately, Senior Neighbors’ transportation program has been a lifeline for Jackie. As a dialysis patient, Jackie receives discounted Go!Bus tickets to take her to and from her medical appointments. Despite the challenges she faces every day, Jackie maintains a positive attitude and a sense of humor.

Sophia & Raymond

“I really appreciate Senior Neighbors, and all the help they’ve given me in 2017.”

Sophia and Raymond have been married for over 50 years, and have lived in their Grand Rapids home for nearly that long as well. Raymond, an Army veteran who served in the Korean War, has always taken pride in maintaining he and Sophia’s home. Even through the blustery Michigan winters, Sophia can remember Raymond on the roof shoveling snow and working to repair a leaking roof. However, after some serious health issues, Raymond found himself unable to manage their needed home repairs… until he heard about the Helping Home-bound Heroes Program.

This program, which started at Senior Neighbors in Spring 2017, assists veterans in Kent County with the home repairs needed to keep them safe and comfortable in their home. With support from the Home Depot Foundation and Meals on Wheels America, Senior Neighbors was able to provide repairs to Sophia and Raymond’s bathroom floor, as well as install handles to help achieve safety in their home. Sophia and Raymond are very pleased with their new bathroom floor, and their ability to stay in the comfort of their familiar home.

Mrs. C

“Everyone at Senior Neighbors is so nice. They never said any unkind words to me. Caitlin is enormously helpful! I was desperate and now there is hope! I can get out of this mess and get my life straightened around. I’m paying off medical bills – it’s such a big relief! If it weren’t for Caitlin I probably would have lost the house.”

Mrs. C was so frozen with stress over bills and other important documents arriving daily in her mailbox that she couldn’t deal with it anymore. Her coffee table was piled high with unopened envelopes. She didn’t know what to do. The paperwork was utterly intimidating!

Mrs. C’s neighbor mentioned that Senior Neighbors had helped with some home maintenance so Mrs. C. called Senior Neighbors and was quickly connected to Caitlin, a caseworker. Caitlin knocked at Mrs. C’s door and got to work getting to know Mrs. C., opening envelopes, organizing the mail, setting up a repayment plan and helping make Mrs. C’s life manageable.

Dave

Dave lives alone and says it’s hard to cook a nutritious, balanced meal for one, so he eats lunch at the Sparta Senior Center in order to ensure one well-rounded meal each day. He also enjoys the company and the social interaction at the center. Dave values the Sparta Center so highly that he serves as the center’s representative on the Senior Neighbors Board of Directors.