Cristina is an undocumented Hispanic woman who has been taking care of her 9 year old son who has autism and her mother who has Alzheimer’s Disease. When we first met Cristina in early July, she had never reached out for any assistance before for fear that she would be deported or arrested. She does not speak English and our Care Coach has been continually reaching out to her for support and to help her through this process. Cristina is deteriorating from the burden of care and does not get any sleep because her mom and son are up all night. Her mother’s somewhat aggressive behavior often sparks her son to then become agitated. Cristina has been worn down overtime and is so weak from the burden of care, she was recently hospitalized overnight from stress. Cristina is asking for counseling assistance, home-care, respite and medical care. As we know that time is of the essence with her situation, we have already set her up with a bilingual case manager and will be putting home-care in place for her. We are also assisting the client with getting healthcare so that she can be properly cared for and regain the ability to sleep at night. We are referring Cristina to our children’s programs for assistance with her son and a counselor will be provided so she can benefit from a strong support system as she moves forward.
Learn more about FCA’s Alzheimer’s Caregiver program.
At FCA we respect all who come to us for help – and many are working toward a fresh start in life. So while their stories are true, client names and images may have been changed to protect their privacy. We thank you for understanding.
