By Care Resources
Care Resources, a community-based program for people 55 years or older, enjoys being a lot of things to a lot of people, but for Debra, it transformed her life.
“I am,” she says with a hearty laugh, “a different person.”
Born and raised in Chicago, Debra, age 72, never knew her mother, who died while giving birth to her. She was raised by her father and a grandmother, staying in Illinois until she was about 20, working after graduating high school as a cashier in a grocery store.
She attended college for a couple of years, while simultaneously raising three children as a single mother. Her son and both daughters served in the United States armed services – the Army, Navy and Air Force, to be precise.
A self-described “people person,” Debra loved the give-and-take that came with working in retail jobs, and later, as a maid in hotels.
“I got to meet people from all over the world,” she recalls. “I so enjoyed listening to different languages being spoken.”
She moved to Michigan when her father purchased property here, moving to a small town outside of South Haven, where her children attended school and later launched their military careers.
After retiring and moving to Grand Rapids in 2019, she became ill with disorders she says were never properly diagnosed.
“I couldn’t really move hardly at all,” she says. “I couldn’t do anything for myself, and relied on my two daughters to wash me, to feed me.”
She suffered a bad fall from her bed, prompting her son-in-law – an employee at Care Resources – to insist she be seen by the organization’s medical team.
It was a transforming decision, giving her access to comprehensive health care services funded by Medicare and Medicaid.
“They came right to my house and did everything they had to do to assess me,” she said. “They got me a wheelchair. They got me a special bed.”
With these support services, Debra’s health improved markedly, to a point where she became able care for herself and control her daily affairs of living.
“I went from not walking, to a wheelchair, to a walker, to walking on my own,” she says proudly. “I did the therapy, the exercises – everything they told me to do.”
Today, she’s a regular at Care Resources’ headquarters on 4150 Kalamazoo Ave. SE in Grand Rapids, which features a day center, clinic and pharmacy. She boards the organization’s transportation bus to get there, and spends her time connecting with friends, playing Bingo, crafting and enjoying meals, among other activities.
Looking back, Debra credits Care Resources with putting her on the road to independence and keeping her in her own home rather than a nursing facility. That’s a hallmark of Care Resources, which provides medical care and a wide array of home health services to more than 300 participants in Kent County and portions of Allegan, Barry, Ionia and Ottawa counties.
“Did they change my life?” asks Debra. “They surely did! I was down and out and didn’t want to go anywhere or see anyone or do anything. But they wouldn’t let me stay down. They helped and encouraged me, cheered me up and never gave up on me.
“If it weren’t for them, I would not be walking today.”
Debra is still reeling from her first visit ever to Michigan’s Capitol building in Lansing, where she helped raise awareness of Care Resources as a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE, organization. Debra was one of several participants who shared personal stories with legislators about the impact of PACE on their lives.
To other older adults in West Michigan seeking ways to improve their lives, she suggests they visit Care Resources and “just come watch what they do; they’re like little bees buzzing around because everyone is just so eager to help others.”
To learn more about Care Resources and PACE services, visit CareResources.org.
