Please help me support my mom and dad in their time of unexpected need. Let me start by introducing myself. I’m Cathleen, the youngest daughter of Bill and Jane Chance. I have an older sister, Lisa. Lisa lives close to my parents, and I live out of the country. My father is 90, my mother is 84, and they have been married for over 65 years.

My mother is an award-winning quilt artist and has always been there to take care of my dad. Little did she know that the serious issues she was dealing with, with his personality and behavioral changes, was dementia. She just kept taking care of him and did her best.

His behavior became more unmanageable, to the point that twice he got out of the house in the middle of the night while she slept and yelled for help in the streets, asking for neighbors to call the police. Shortly after the last episode, my dad tried to leave again but fell as he was attempting to put his pants on. He’s a large man, so the fire department was called, then eventually an ambulance, and he spent a week in the hospital while the doctors tried to determine the best medication for him.

During his hospital stay, the doctors and psychiatrist evaluated him and indicated his dementia was rapidly accelerating. They determined he was in need of hospice care and noted that my mother was not capable of providing the care he needed, as she is 84, fragile, and using a walker herself.

We found a very nice memory care facility that is close to my mother’s house and the hospital. Thankfully, he is in very capable hands, but my mother and father had absolutely no savings set aside for this type of need, nor for the unexpected expenses from the hospital stay. With Medicare and hospice care, part of the expenses are being covered. My sister and I are also helping as much as possible. My dad is also a Veteran, having served on the USS Carp as a radio operator, and later serving as one of the original Navy Frogmen (now known as Navy SEALs). We are also reaching out to the VA for any assistance they can provide.

I am setting up this GoFundMe in order to help pay my father’s memory care costs, which is $5,500 per month, and hospital expenses from his week-long stay. My mother and father have lived in the same house for over 55 years, and hopefully, anything you can provide will help my mom be able to stay in her house a little longer.

Thank you for any assistance you can provide, and I ask that you share this link with your friends if you feel moved to. Thank you!