GRANDPARENTS CARING FOR GRANDCHILDREN

An Almoner's Story: A family sits together for meals and a disabled man  finds comfort with a grant of $668 for chairs and a sofa.  

Michelle and Ricardo are in their mid-70's. They have been the caretakers for their three grandchildren (now ages 12, 15, and 17) for six years  due to the death of the children's mother and incarceration of their father.

During their working years, both Michelle and Ricardo held regular but low-paying factory and restaurant jobs, and were able to support their family of five with their two incomes.

Ricardo was forced to stop working when he was 59 due to kidney disease, and he has been on dialysis for several years. When his condition worsened three years ago, Michelle gave up her job in order to care for him. They now rely on their combined social security payments, which cover most of their day-to-day expenses.

Ricardo suffers from constant, intractable pain, and spends most of the day resting on the couple's living room sofa — though it is 30 years old.  The legs of the sofa are breaking and its springs protrude through the bottom. The cushions are threadbare and soiled. Ricardo rises from the sofa to eat meals with his wife at their kitchen table, sitting on one of two their stools — both of which are unstable and unsafe. The sofa and the two stools are the only seating in the apartment. 

The condition of their furniture is a source of great shame for Michelle, who would like to invite guests to their home, including her grandchildren's friends. But because she cannot offer a secure and comfortable place for guests to sit, she does not allow her grandchildren to bring friends home and does not invite her friends or relatives to visit.

I made a $668 grant for a new sofa and 5 kitchen chairs for the family, which had an immediate positive effect. Michelle told me she would invite her grandchildren's friends for a playdate the next day.

The new furniture provided more than a comfortable place to sit; it also renewed this family's hope for the future and boosted the entire family's sense of worth. 

Note: for confidentiality, names have been changed and photo does not depict the actual people discussed here.