#KeepConnieDancing

#KeepConnieDancing

UPDATE - October 14, 2019

Today I lost my Mom. My biggest fan. Connie Dawson turned 92 on October 8 and died October 14, 2019 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. She was a pilot, guitarist/yodeler, learned BASIC, loved golf, and saw four brother survive WW2. She always told me to dream and be a man with honor. 

Thanks for all the support and help making my Mom's final years worry free. 

Peace and Love, Mike
 

UPDATE - June 28, 2019

Hello my friends,

I wanted to give you latest update regarding my Mom.

She has been placed on hospice care since June. Her overall health condition has been deteriorating and it is the informed opinion that her life is coming to an end.

I will keep all of you posted. I want to thank all of you for your continued help and support.

Peace and Love, Mike
 
UPDATE - October 20, 2018 
Hello my friends,

I apologize for the late update regarding Connie. 
After three years of insurance bureaucracy problems, her new coverage started in October.

She has been living in a new and improved assisted living home since May 2018. This new community is located north of Dallas in Princeton, Texas.

Thanks to everyone that helped bridge the financial gap between her original insurance plan and the new one. Without your assistance, it would have been difficult to make changes smooth and worry free. I will never forget your generosity. Now I have to pay everyone back!

I will keep you posted more frequently. Connie is adjusting well to the rural environment of her new home.

Thanks. Peace and love – Mike

ORIGINAL POST:

My name is Mike Dawson. I am the only son of Connie Dawson. I live in Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas.

In 2012 my Mom was diagnosed with dementia and alzheimers. After a series of medical emergencies I was advised by her doctors the she was no longer able to live by herself. My Mom is a strong and fiercely independent woman and tried to hide the first symptoms of her dementia. But in the summer of 2012 her efforts to put a good face on her deteriorating health finally ended. 

At first I tried to use home based healthcare  to keep her in familiar surroundings and close to friends. Unfortunately, it was immediately clear that I would have to follow doctors orders. After an exhaustive search and evaluation, I moved Connie to an assisted living home in Dallas, Texas September, 2012. She has been living in the same assisted living/memory care facility ever since. 

INSURANCE COMPANY COVERAGE TERMINATED

Her long term insurance has ended.

 All my appeals to the insurance company to extend the policy beyond five years have been denied. 

The long term insurance never covered 100% of her monthly expenses. As a consequence, all her savings and retirement assets have been exhausted. 

I NEED YOUR HELP TO KEEP MY MOM
IN A SAFE AND HAPPY PLACE!

Each year the cost of assisted living go up. All her insurance premiums continue to go up. I have been paying for the costs not covered by her long term policy and those payments have been anywhere from $100 to $1000 per month.

Currently, the rent per month is $3600.00 at the assisted living home. I expect that costs will increase in January 2018. My estimate is that in 2018 Connie's rent will be $3850.00 per month. 

I estimate that total assisted living rent expenses will be $65,000.00 through 2018. 

Against all odds my Mom has survived three different cancer episodes (colon, breast, and skin).

Against all odds she has survived for five years (and counting) battling dementia and alzheimers. Her physicians are impressed with her drive and determination to be active and mentally curious.

How long with my Mom survive? Nobody knows, of course. It is clear that if I move her to a Medicaid home the shock and disorientation will be catastrophic. And the quality of her environment and 24 hour care will change for the worse.

She loves where she lives now. #KeepConnieDancing

I am dreading the prospect of moving her to an unfamiliar place where there would be nobody but strangers. My Mom has proven herself to be resilient but the unknown is what I fear.

All her immediate family has passed away and I am the remaining family member. It is clear that the best solution for life with dignity during her final life chapter is to remain in her assisted living home.

I NEED YOUR HELP. PLEASE SUPPORT CONNIE.

Thanks. Peace and love - Mike
#KeepConnieDancing