Motivated to Move Forward

With your help, seniors like John have their basic needs met, live in a safe home and receive emotional support through Catholic Charities.

*John, an 81 year old man, was struggling to continue living independently. As a veteran, John valued his ability to provide for himself and his wife in their small duplex. In 2014, John was referred to Catholic Charities by United Way’s 211 helpline. John had many needs, including help with medication costs, utilities, and housing, as well as enrolling in community resources such as food stamps and transportation assistance. We were able to help John meet his needs and for a time things were going well.

Then a new crisis arose. John’s home became infested with bed bugs, affecting his health and the state of his marriage.

John reached out to Catholic Charities once again, and we were able to advocate on John’s behalf with his landlord to bring in extermination services and maintain a clean household. But during the extermination and cleaning process John and his wife had to relocate temporarily. After having to discard much of their furniture and many of their belongings due to the infestation, John didn’t have much left, only a few things that fit into a backpack.

Sadly, during the temporary relocation, John and his wife separated. On top of everything else this was a devastating emotional blow. John’s case manager urged him to reach out to his family and reestablish connections that had been severed over the years. With urging and support he was able to do just that.

Once his home was clean and safe, John was able to move back into his duplex. Catholic Charities assisted him with replacing furniture, clothing, food, and other household items. We were also able to secure medical equipment that could make it easier for John to perform his activities of daily living, and worked with Adult Protective Services to obtain a provider to help him monitor his medication and prepare meals.

Today, John and his case manager are working to stabilize his finances. John has shown significant improvement on the Geriatric Depression Scale, and reports that he feels motivated to move forward. John is now living in a clean, safe home, has obtained stable transportation services, is regularly attending doctor’s appointments to monitor his health, and is having his basic needs such as food, utilities, and socialization met. 

Your generosity helps seniors like John have enough to eat, live in a safe home and receive emotional support. 

Learn more about Catholic Charities Senior Services program how you can help other seniors receive the care they deserve.