Story by: Alyson Jordan
Photos by: Callie Williams
In early 2012, Vicki Parks persuaded her aging mother to move from California to North Carolina to live with her.
Edith Bickham was in her mid-70’s and used to living on her own. She had taken care of her own aging parents while in her 60’s. Despite her numerous diabetes-related health issues, Bickham did everything in her power to hold on to her independence.
For the first four months in North Carolina, Bickham stayed with Parks and her husband. While Parks welcomed her mother with open arms, it wasn’t always easy.
“We had a lot less privacy, that’s for sure.”
Parks devoted much of her time to transporting Bickham to and from doctors’ appointments, and shopping. Soon, she began searching for more permanent options that would benefit both her and her mother without imposing a significant financial burden.
While her mother grew more restless, Parks scoured the area for options that would provide comprehensive, low-cost services while allowing Bickham to retain the independent lifestyle she had long been used to.
It just so happened that Piedmont SeniorCare opened its second location only a couple of months before in Pittsboro, North Carolina. When Parks heard of the community health care site, Bickham filled out an application, interviewed and waited.
Meeting the need
In 1970, Piedmont Health, a community health care organization, was founded to help expand medical care access to communities, often in rural areas, that might not be able to afford it otherwise. In total, Piedmont Health has 12 locations spread out across North Carolina, two of which focus on senior care.
Using the government-funded Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), Piedmont SeniorCare “allows nursing-home eligible seniors to remain in their homes and communities” while providing comprehensive care. Through PACE, Piedmont SeniorCare can leverage patients’ existing coverage under Medicare to provide the elderly with affordable care that can cover more than Medicare can.
Jeff Sumpter, site director of Piedmont SeniorCare in Pittsboro, said that the program aimed “to open up other ways of approaching their (patients’) health care, approaching their self-care, (and) of helping caregivers with training and support.”
A needed change
While living in California, Bickham had surgery to try to correct her failing vision so that she could keep driving to work. Doctors told her to expect a week’s recovery time.
That week turned into weeks, then months, until finally she lost her job.
The surgery had failed to restore her ability to pass driving vision tests. Bickham scrambled to find new employment and found herself taking three buses to her new part-time position. As desperately as she wanted to maintain her lifestyle, she found herself stretched thin.
Earlier this year, Bickham lit up as she pointed to the mural of an oak tree across the room in Piedmont SeniorCare’s main activity room. When she first came to Piedmont Health five years ago, she couldn’t see anything except vague colors on the wall.
Then came the trunk. Then the leaves. Finally, the small blue birds perched on the branches. Bickham smiled as she pointed out the polka dots on the chairs and the pictures that hung on the walls.
In her time at Piedmont, Bickham life has transformed as dramatically as the tree mural has in her eyes. She now lives alone in her own apartment and has regained much of her eyesight thanks to treatment. She goes to Piedmont SeniorCare three days a week not only to see the onsite doctors and health care specialists to ensure her physical well-being but also to socialize and receive mental stimulation.
“She gets out a lot more,” Parks stated. “She’s able to develop more friendships than she would have otherwise.” Piedmont SeniorCare provides transportation not just to and from their site, but also to doctors’ appointments, grocery stores, clothing stores and special activities like picnics and bowling.
“I’m not as housebound as I was before,” Bickham said, adding she tries to participate in Piedmont’s activities “as much as (she) can.”
Piedmont’s services give Bickham a new level of freedom in her life. They also benefit her daughter. If the care of her mother had been left up to just Parks and her sister, it would have been impossible “to get (Bickham) out and have her involved in the things that she can be involved in over at Piedmont.” Since Bickham lives on her own again, Parks has started a full-time job, something she could not have done otherwise.
When Parks was diagnosed with cancer, Piedmont Health was a “blessing” and freed her to “take care of (herself) when (she) needed to the most” instead of concentrating on her mother’s care. “Had it not been for my sister and for Piedmont Health, y’know, there’s no way that we could have gotten through all of that,” Parks said.
The bigger issue
For many other people across North Carolina, finding proper care for their aging parents isn’t easy.
More than 34 million Americans are unpaid, unofficial caretakers for the elderly. Typically, these caretakers are the children dealing with their parents’ declining health and mobility. These informal caretakers, most of whom are women, spend on average 24 hours a week doing chores, making food, shopping and doing other tasks for their ailing parents. One out of four unofficial caregivers spends over 41 hours a week providing care. This commitment places not only a financial burden, but also a major time commitment on so many Americans. Many of these families cannot afford an official caretaker, or a senior living home.
A fresh view on life
At Piedmont SeniorCare, Bickham gleefully strolled the halls, talking about her favorite craft activities and how she was looking forward to seeing the Elvis Presley impersonator next week. She pointed out the garden where many patients spend warm days on the walking paths, the kitchen where she and others take part in cooking classes, the gym where she works out, the health care facility where she gets her monthly check-ups, and the pharmacy where she fills her medicine.
Piedmont SeniorCare has given Bickham access to a supportive community and much-needed medical care, but it’s also given her what she needs most of all: her independence.
