If you are elderly and poor, prison is better than a retirement home

[Honeycombe8]

49. There was no choice. I work and am gone all day....

she had to be cared for round the clock (couldn't go to restroom by herself, etc.), since the stroke left her partially disabled. Then she broke her hip/leg, which disabled her more. She is overweight....I and others in teh family wouldn't be able to lift her to assist her. There simply was no choice.

At first, it would've been better to have an assisted living facility, but La. doesn't have those for public-assistance patients. If it has them at all. Here in TX, we have those.

But, to be clear, this is sort of her own fault. She refused to work much of her adult life, so didn't have insurance. She also led an unhealthy lifestyle...you could tick off almost every risk category for having a stroke, in her case. She just sat around much of hte day, living with my mother, eating, smoking, and watching tv. So she still does that, except she can't go outside easily to catch a smoke these days. They have to use a machine to put her in her wheelchair so she can be mobile. And it was her decision to stay in La. I tried to talk her into leaving and coming to TX, where there are more jobs, but she wouldn't. But at least there, family is able to go see her more often than if she were here in Texas. Except I don't get there often.