HEARING - U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging

19
Mrs. RIEGER. OK. About 7 years ago, he had to have two vascular
surgeries, which I am sure you know what that is-well, he has
had three, but one was several years ago, and then about 7 years
ago, within 7 weeks, he had to have two vascular surgeries.
The last vascular surgery that he had, he had a pretty severe
stroke on the operating table. Then about 6 weeks after that, he
had to go back and have kidney surgery.
Well, his insurance paid all but about $2,500 of all three surgeries,
and I have gotten that down to about $700 now. But there have
been several months I have not been able to send the hospital any
money. This is one hospital that has not been pressing me because
they say they know that eventually, I will get it paid.
Well, I kept him home, oh, approximately 4 years after he had
the vascular surgeries. I had to go to work because his Social Security
at that time was approximately $425. And many a time, I
would come home and find him lying on the floor-he had been
there all day-one day I came home, and he had fallen in the bathroom,
and he had blisters all over his legs where he had struggled
trying to get up. One time, he had broken ribs when I came home.
But I still worked and tried to keep him home.
Then I came one day and found him, and he could not talk to
me; he could not even drink water. I called our family doctor, a: d
he came right over. That is when he told me, "Mrs. Rieger, you
cannot keep him home any longer." He was completely paralyzed,
all but-well, he could not walk, and at that time he could not
speak. He knew everything that was going on, and I told my
doctor, "I cannot tell him he is going to a nursing home; you will
have to do it." So he told him he would have to go to the c6nvalescent
home until he could take care of himself, which he knew he
could never do.
But he was willing to go, and I guess I am fortunate in this. I
have a wonderful nursing home that he is in, and he has never
asked me to come home. In this nursing home, the ones that have
their right mind and everything, they are all put in a wing separate
from the others. So he does get out and watch television; they
take him the wheelchair.
Since he has been in the nursing home, though, he has had two
or three more strokes. Once in a while he can talk to you, but usually
it is just a whisper, and you have to kind of guess at what he
is saying.
The only thing that upsets him is he will get to crying sometimes,
and I will ask him what is wrong. He says, "I do not like for
you to be working as hard as you are."
And I tell him, "Well, you took care of me all these years. I will
take care of you now."
But it is getting to the point where I do not know. Now his Social
Security check is $498, which they will be taking. some more-I will
be having to pay the nursing home a little more, because they got a
raise. Hie is supposed to have $25 per month.
They do allow five prescription drugs, but he only takes two that
have to be written by the doctor. The others are medicine that you
can buy over-the-counter. I have to pay for that, and I have to pay
for his personal belongings and have his hair cut and things like
that, which is more than the $25.