marilyn
If you sit down and talk with Marilyn about her life, you’re likely to have a lively conversation, a good laugh, and to come away with this impression: she is a very determined woman.
She’s determined not to give up the things that are important to her, including living in her home, which sits on land bought by her parents in 1939. Marilyn, 86, and her husband Bennie (who passed away in 2011) raised their daughter there, her niece lives two doors down and her brother lives just around the corner.
“We are a tight knit family. My mom taught us that. When one has trouble you all have trouble. You stick together. And we always have,” she said.
Support from Marilyn’s family – and her own determination – have helped her through some tough times, including a stroke in 1996 that hastened her retirement from a career with the City of Cincinnati.
The stroke left her without the use of her left side and doctors didn’t expect her to survive subsequent surgery to repair two aneurysms. She came through surgery, and during her four months of rehabilitation, she told herself, “I’m not going to be like this the rest of my life.” Now, she only has issues with her left side when she’s tired.
Among the services the Hamilton County Elderly Services Program (ESP) has provided to Marilyn during the last 20 years are a walker with a seat she can rest on when she’s out of breath from her COPD, a lift chair and a home health aide to assist with light housekeeping. “Some things aren’t easy for me now,” she said.
Marilyn is grateful for these services and for her Council on Aging care manager. “Joan is like my daughter. We just seemed to click right from the beginning.” she said. “I feel free to call Joan with anything.”
“If it was not for Council on Aging supporting my needs, I wouldn’t have been able to afford it. Because after my husband died, my Social Security was decreased.” She added that although they support her as much as possible, “my family could not afford to take care of me because we’re all just living day to day, payday to payday.”
One of the small pleasures Marilyn appreciates about being in her home is spending time in her garden. Although these days her garden is smaller than it used to be, and she must sit on a stool and bring her oxygen tank along, she said, “there’s nothing like your own little place where you can stretch your legs and sit comfortably in the sun. This (ESP) has assured me of being able to live in my own home, near my family.”
Click here to watch our video where Marilyn - and other clients and caregivers - talk about what the help they receive from Hamilton County ESP means to them.
She’s determined not to give up the things that are important to her, including living in her home, which sits on land bought by her parents in 1939. Marilyn, 86, and her husband Bennie (who passed away in 2011) raised their daughter there, her niece lives two doors down and her brother lives just around the corner.
“We are a tight knit family. My mom taught us that. When one has trouble you all have trouble. You stick together. And we always have,” she said.
Support from Marilyn’s family – and her own determination – have helped her through some tough times, including a stroke in 1996 that hastened her retirement from a career with the City of Cincinnati.
The stroke left her without the use of her left side and doctors didn’t expect her to survive subsequent surgery to repair two aneurysms. She came through surgery, and during her four months of rehabilitation, she told herself, “I’m not going to be like this the rest of my life.” Now, she only has issues with her left side when she’s tired.
Among the services the Hamilton County Elderly Services Program (ESP) has provided to Marilyn during the last 20 years are a walker with a seat she can rest on when she’s out of breath from her COPD, a lift chair and a home health aide to assist with light housekeeping. “Some things aren’t easy for me now,” she said.
Marilyn is grateful for these services and for her Council on Aging care manager. “Joan is like my daughter. We just seemed to click right from the beginning.” she said. “I feel free to call Joan with anything.”
“If it was not for Council on Aging supporting my needs, I wouldn’t have been able to afford it. Because after my husband died, my Social Security was decreased.” She added that although they support her as much as possible, “my family could not afford to take care of me because we’re all just living day to day, payday to payday.”
One of the small pleasures Marilyn appreciates about being in her home is spending time in her garden. Although these days her garden is smaller than it used to be, and she must sit on a stool and bring her oxygen tank along, she said, “there’s nothing like your own little place where you can stretch your legs and sit comfortably in the sun. This (ESP) has assured me of being able to live in my own home, near my family.”
Click here to watch our video where Marilyn - and other clients and caregivers - talk about what the help they receive from Hamilton County ESP means to them.
