From the Orlando Senior Help Desk: A father with cancer

Overwhelmed by the ever-changing condition of his aging father, Michael called the Orlando Senior Help Desk looking for assistance. Dad had been under treatment for cancer for the last one-and-a-half years and his condition was deteriorating quickly now. He could no longer live alone. Michael was feeling the pressure of being an only child and having to make major decisions for a parent. He wasn’t even sure what questions to ask.

Thankfully, the Orlando Senior Help Desk was there to support him. The Help Desk adviser heard Michael’s worries and asked Michael the practical questions that he was too overcome to think of. Will your father be able to stay in his home with help? Does he require assistance with ADLs (activities of daily living, eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, etc.)? Does he need the type of skilled care that requires living in an assisted living community or nursing home? What kind of budget do you have for living expenses and care?

Michael now can take a deep breath. He reviewed the suggestions from the Orlando Senior Help Desk, talked to the referrals he received and has decided it is time for his father to live in assisted living. He chose one of the places in Altamonte Springs because it is near his home so he can visit easily, and it has a Jewish population.

Michael is thankful for the assistance he received when he was in a crises situation. Before life becomes too much, check out the Orlando Senior Help Desk website https://www.orlandoseniorhelpdesk.org/ to start planning for the future. The website covers almost every topic you can imagine. Bookmark it for all of your senior needs.

The Orlando Senior Help Desk is happy to provide information and referrals for services for seniors throughout Orange, Seminole, Lake, Marion, Sumter, and Osceola Counties. It is a free service provided by The Jewish Pavilion, a 501c3 nonprofit offering programming for seniors in elder-care facilities in Central Florida. Donations to support the Orlando Senior Help Desk can be made on the website or https://www.jewishpavilion.org.