Every January since Beth graduated from high school we have an assessment done with Beth's case worker. They come to the house and go over a list of things that Beth is doing or is unable to do.
Does she cook her own meals? (In the microwave, yes)
Does she need help getting dressed? (No)
Can she make her own doctor's appointments? (No)
Does she take medication on her own? (Yes)
How would she respond in an emergency? (Not sure)
Can she take public transportation alone? (No)
Pages and pages of questions, all determining her abilities which in turn determines how much money she would receive from DDD - The Department of Developmental Disabilities.
And every year they ask if Beth needs extra assistance. And every year I say no, we're doing well.
But the last six months or so I've been thinking how Beth might respond better to someone else helping her with her food choices, her activity levels, and hygiene. No forty year old wants their mom telling them what to eat or when to go to bed at night.
T has been her case worker for many years now and we really liked him. I emailed him earlier this year to ask about changing her waiver. The waivers represent different levels of assistance. That's when he told me he's moved to Eastern WA and Beth will be getting a new CW. It wasn't easy telling Beth that news.
I got a call a few weeks later from A, the new CW. She introduced herself and we set up a time to meet. Less than a week later we got a letter in the mail telling us A was no longer our CW.
I called them to ask about our meeting, will we need to reschedule with someone else, and was told that letter was a mistake. They were only supposed to send that out to A's old clients. A is still our CW and our meeting is still on. Whew!
The meeting was for last Monday, February 24. I got off work early and as I'm pulling out of the church parking lot A called. She's not feeling well. Could we postpone the meeting an hour, and have it over the phone. Absolutely! No problem at all.
Chuck, Beth and I are sitting at the kitchen table, phone ready when our meeting time came and went. About 20 minutes after, I texted her and asked if everything was okay.
She felt so bad! Said she had taken some medicine and had fallen asleep. Could we reschedule for later that afternoon. Unfortunately Chuck and I had to get back to work so now our new appointment with the new case worker is scheduled for this Thursday, the 6th.
I'm really hoping to get an assistant for Beth. Someone to come by once a week or twice a month, just to help her clean her apartment, teach her good health habits, maybe take her shopping, to the movies. I think it will be good for both of us.
