Need ideas for next steps

soldierswife
soldierswife Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Caregivers #1
I'm a long-distance caregiver in a sense - my parents are a few states away, and my mom is fighting lung cancer. She and her husband were just fired from their jobs working as a team for a company that provided them on-site housing as well as a job & health insurance (she could no longer work, and he had to care for her and couldn't keep up with work!). So now, they are facing a future with no lodging after March and ridiculously increased premiums for health insurance when they continue their coverage under COBRA. They will be putting tons of stuff up on craigslist that they've accumulated over the last 20 years. They are very private people, and have a lot of trouble asking for help. I would like to convince them to run this sale of their excess stuff like a fundraiser to help pay for their immed. living expenses - what are the implications of doing something like this? Are there legal ramifications? Tax worries? Permits to be sought? Who do I ask about these things?

Beyond that, my mom will need to decide if she wants to get back to MD Anderson for continuation of treatment. I have a sibling who lives on the other side of the country who has offered to have them live there, but that's even farther from treatment. I don't know what to do next... I thought of trying to get a hold of an RV that my parents could buy so they could get down to TX for treatment, and still be able to get around and have somewhere to live. There should be a network of RV rentals for cancer families - everyone who knows someone fighting cancer knows the trouble with trying to stay near a hospital for an unknown length of time - hotels get too expensive, and Fisher Houses, R. McDonald houses, etc, have waiting lists & fill up so fast...

I know I'm rambling... just needed to vent. If anyone has any thoughts or ideas about the next step, I'd love to hear them...

Comments

  • Barbara53
    Barbara53 Member Posts: 652
    #2
    you have good ideas
    What a mess your Mom finds herself in. Unless you are liquidating real estate, I don't think there is a way to track cash from sale of random stuff. The RV idea is a good one, and I wonder about joining a couple of freecyle groups (where you are and where they are) just to see what comes up. And you know there are RV rental places all over now, though they are not cheap. Still, it's possible that a rental place might have an older model for long-term rent at a lower rate. Since your Mom is going to Anderson, I'd check with a social worker there to see if they know of resources, too.

    Talk about raining until it pours. You have a heavy load. Take care of yourself.

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