When I was fourteen, my father had a severe stroke that left him totally disabled until he died in 2015. My mom became his primary caregiver overnight. When someone in your family suddenly loses their mobility and ability to communicate, you realize quickly how important it is to live in a community that is accessible and provides essential services and support to seniors and people with disabilities. As a teenage boy, I didn’t think much about any of that until I had to. But after my dad’s stroke, if I had a soccer game or a school event or anything else a parent would usually come to, if it wasn’t accessible my dad could not be there. Even just a broken elevator could mean turning around and going home.
As Waltham continues to grow and change, I want to make sure our City’s government has families like mine in mind. As a City, the choices we make will often determine whether or not families with an elderly or disabled family member can fully participate in our community.
As difficult as my dad’s illness was, my family was really lucky. My parents had access to long-term disability benefits from their jobs at the University of Michigan. They had good health insurance that covered great services which meant my dad could stay in our home, and in-patient nursing home services were available when my mom needed a break. At the same time, having my parents go from working to living with disabilities on a fixed income was a big challenge, and where we lived it was easy for them to become more and more isolated.
In many ways, Waltham is already an aging-friendly community. Unlike where I grew up, Waltham has a relatively accessible downtown and safe green space where people of all ages and abilities can stay active. As a local elder law and estate planning attorney, I have gotten to know the City’s TRIAD Officer and the wonderful employees and volunteers at Springwell, and the Council on Aging who provide incredible services and support to Waltham’s seniors. Our City must continue to support these efforts, and take additional steps to support healthy aging and full participation of seniors and people with disabilities in our community. Luckily, experts at Brandeis have already provided Waltham with comprehensive recommendations on how we can do better.