My mom's stroke turned me into her full-time caregiver

My 87-year-old mom — whom I call Mommi — had always been fiercely independent and would push us away when we tried to help. On March 9, 2024, she had a stroke that affected her mobility. I found her in the kitchen repeating the same wiping motion, called 911, and she was taken to the hospital for an emergency procedure.

After five days there and two weeks in intensive rehab, she came home on April 1. Since she returned, I've been her primary caregiver, helped by my daughter TraNisha, 39, who lives with us. Mommi doesn't qualify for Medicaid because her savings are above the threshold; she worked in the food industry and had good retirement benefits and private insurance.

We could have hired outside help, but we prefer to care for each other. I don't meet the requirements for caregivers' compensation, though we did qualify for a one-time grant for some items, including medication related to her dementia.

United States

stroke, caregiver, family caregiving, dementia, medicaid, private insurance, rehab, in-home care, retirement benefits, grant