Abandon me not when I grow old.

Our Story

No one plans for it, but when my mom started to develop dementia symptoms seven years ago, I knew the day would come when she would be unable to care for herself.

That day came all too quickly, leaving my father to face the biggest challenge of his life:  taking care of my mom at home.  I had a hard time watching him to go from frustration, to depression, and even to aggression with my mom’s fraying mind.  However, trying to convince my dad to accept home care help was even harder.

When he finally decided to accept help, I spent days and weeks trying to find an agency that could provide home care, assistant living, or a nursing facility at a reasonable cost. The search came up short. We found that all our options were either too expensive or inconvenient for my dad!

In my professional life, I have spent over 20 years working in home care.  There are a number of federal and state programs in place to help low-income families pay for home care, but middle-class families are in a much tougher position. My mom did not qualify for Medicaid (Medical Assistance), and the Medicare covered only intermittent care at home under very specific circumstances and did not cover long-term home care she needed the most: – toileting, bathing, dressing, transfers, feeding, and respite care for my dad.

This got me thinking of how unfair it is to people like my parents who worked, saved for retirement, and were now faced with having to spend down all their savings until they qualify for Medical Assistance.

My vision for Generation Care is to create a professional, family and community oriented support system for aging Minnesotans. By engaging community members of all generations, utilizing technology and voluntarism, and providing professional, cost effective services along with training for family caregivers, we aim to help you and your family members through what can be a difficult transition period.

Your care is our business now!

Sincerely,

Natasha Kushner, Administrator