Norma Jean’s Medical Needs

As most of you know or may not know, Norma Jean (my Nanny) lives with Dementia. We have slowly watched this horrible disease take away her memories over the last few years. As hard as it has been, my Nanny still found a way to her new day-to-day. She got up every morning, lived the best day she could, and loved spending time with her family. Two months ago, that all changed.

A week after having COVID (for the first time), she began to develop panic attacks that differed from her normal Dementia behavior. She dealt with periods of sadness and extreme anxiety, but life was still manageable. Then, on March 20th, she lost her sight for an entire hour. She traveled by ambulance to the hospital, and we thought we might get some answers. During her stay, the anxiety attacks worsened and began to hamper her focus more each day. After a two-week stay and every test imaginable, we only discovered that she was physically healthy for an 84-year-old. Since she was physically fine, we moved her to a rehab facility to regain her strength.

After further evaluation, she was put on a new medication that could take up to a month to be fully effective, but we're already starting to see the positive effects. She's able to sleep more and has more moments of clarity than she's had in a month. She is currently in an outstanding facility with a great staff that adores her. They agreed with us that something wasn't normal about her behavior.

This is why we're asking for help today. The progress we're starting to see is getting ready to end because insurance has decided she hasn't made enough progress in two weeks. TWO WEEKS to determine how someone who has spent her entire life caring for others will spend the rest of her life. We have started the appeals process against their decision, but it could take up to two weeks for a final answer. During that time, the facility becomes private/self-pay. We want to see her continue receiving excellent care and progress as her body and mind adjust to the new medication; to do that, we need some additional funds to help during that time.

I would greatly appreciate any help. My Nanny is the center of our family, and that's evident by the fact she has not been alone without a family member present since she first entered the hospital and during her stay in Rehab. We know she is not ready to give up her fight. We just need a little help for the time being to help with her current battle.

With love and many thanks!

Melissa