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“The last fall was the worst of all,” Stephanie said, tracing an imaginary line from her forehead to her lip to indicate the length of the wound she suffered after a fall in May 2016.
Stephanie, 58, had gone to dinner that night with her family when she took a spill on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. Instead of eating cheesecake, she spent the evening in the hospital—again.
Stephanie was diagnosed at the age of five with cerebral palsy, a neurologic condition that affects muscle control, movement and balance. In spite of it, she has been self sufficient. Stephanie graduated from St. Agnes Academy in Indianapolis and completed three years toward a computer degree at Ivy Tech. She was employed as a receptionist at a finance company for car dealers and also worked at J.C. Penney.
She and her husband married in 1992, and together they reared two sons. In 2010, her husband died of a heart attack. One year later, Stephanie suffered a stroke. Since then, she has had reoccurring issues of stability and has fallen numerous times.
In December 2015 she was hospitalized after a fall and spent 28 days in rehab. In May, she fell outside the restaurant. Back in the hospital. Back to rehab. One week later she couldn’t get out of bed. She went back to the hospital in an ambulance—this time with pancreatitis.
Her oldest son and daughter-in-law were preparing to move to Russia and were concerned about her health. They did some research online and found CICOA.
Stephanie was approved for services through Indiana’s CHOICE program, but as her needs increased, she was moved to the Medicaid waiver. Today, a caregiver comes every weekday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to help her with bathing, dressing, meal preparation, and household chores. A second caregiver returns from 7-11 p.m.
Since June 2016, Stephanie’s health has been stable. Her youngest son, who was living with her to provide care, was able to move into his own apartment. Stephanie’s oldest son and family, now living in Russia, have peace of mind knowing she has the support she needs.
“I feel safer and more comfortable at home, and my stress level has decreased,” Stephanie said. “Without CICOA, I would have lost everything.”
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