James Nichols ‘77 Fund

The best news is that James is alive.  Honestly, his doctors didn’t think he would live this long.  His various physical conditions — congestive heart failure, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease — are relatively well-managed by drug and diet.  He was diagnosed last month with gout, a painful byproduct of his renal failure and heart disease. 

Here’s the deal:  the money we raised last year will be exhausted this month.  His fees for assisted housing are now $1600/mo, a little more than $50/day... by far the best fee for this range, not to mention quality, of services we could find anywhere in the region.  We expect this to increase another $100/month to cover his doctor mandated diet to manage his gout.  His facility offers him housing, food, meds management, laundry and cleaning.  They help him get to all his medical appointments.  They are excellent caretakers! James receives about $700/mo in SSI.  That is the total of his cash income. He has no assets. Again, he receives no assistance from his family because, in addition to being estranged, they are all in precarious financial  situations.

That gap of almost $900/month has been covered by money we have raised or personally contributed over the last year+.  Those reserves will be exhausted October 1.  

We need to raise another $10-12,000 to cover his assisted living fees for the coming 12 months.  We appreciate that this is not a long-term solution.  James turns 60 next year.  At that time, he becomes eligible for a county program that subsidizes assisted living fees for indigent seniors.  We will be applying for that program.  Our other efforts to supplement his income through employment have not been productive.  Despite doing well in cardiac rehab last year, he is still too physically and mentally disabled to get even a minimum wage job.

He needs our help.  Please help us help our friend.