Senior Spotlight: Dual homes make care possible

By Libby James
North Forty News

Five years ago, LuAnn Goodyear made a promise. Today, every day, she is fulfilling it.

Goodyear told her dad, when he was 82, that if it were at all under her control, he would never need to move into any sort of senior care facility. Now close to 88, Samuel Greenwald lives with Goodyear and her husband, Jim, in a unique set-up that allows Greenwald maximum independence and top-quality care.

To a large degree, the Goodyears are able to maintain their lifestyle and careers while Greenwald's needs are met. The road to this smoothly operating plan has had bumps along the way, but the happiest of endings.

In September 2008 Goodyear began to notice changes in the Greenwald household.

"Things just weren't getting done in the house," Goodyear said.

There was very little food around, and Ruthie, Goodyear's stepmother, was unable to manage common household chores.

Even though she was busy managing Last Resort Equestrian Center west of Waverly and working as 4-H horse program coordinator for Larimer County, Goodyear began going to her dad's house in Fort Collins twice a week.

By November, her visits had become daily. She saw that they ate breakfast, made lunch for them and left dinner in a Crockpot. It was not a sustainable situation, but nevertheless Goodyear kept up the daily visits until February 2009 when Greenwald fell and ended up in the hospital with a compression fracture.

When he came home, Goodyear moved into his house to care for him and stayed through most of March. Then she moved her dad and stepmother into an assisted living apartment. While the care was good, it soon became evident that the place was not a good fit for the couple. In May, they moved into the guest bedroom at the Goodyear home.

Meanwhile, construction had begun on a home for the Greenwalds. Attached to the Goodyear home by a long hallway, it seemed the ideal solution. With a spacious living area in 1,400 square feet on a single floor, the couple would be able to enjoy panoramic views of fields and foothills.

During the Larimer County Fair in July, when Goodyear's job kept her away from home between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., Greenwald developed an infection in his foot that required surgery and hospitalization. His balance was so compromised that he spent three months at Center Rehabilitation before he was well enough to return home. Meanwhile, his wife's dementia had progressed.

"It took me a long time to realize that I had to take care of myself," Goodyear said. "When I knew that I could not care for my stepmother as well as my dad, I called Ruthie's daughter in California. Penny came to Fort Collins and took her mother home with her."

Separating the couple was painful, but with time, the Greenwalds have come to accept the situation. In October, Greenwald came home to his completed house, and before long a routine developed. Isabel Garcia, a trained health-care assistant employed by Visiting Angels, spends four days and three nights each week caring for Greenwald. They have developed a comfortable relationship with each other.

Goodyear's father visits her home when Garcia is away. (Goodyear has quit her job with Larimer County.) Because he often gets up at night and is at risk of falling, a monitor alerts the Goodyears on the nights when he stays alone. Jim, who works for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, is a very early riser and happily takes the 4:30 a.m. duty. A grandfather was part of his household when he was growing up.

Greenwald maintains a lively interest in life. In the yard sits his 1953 John Deere tractor, which he runs around the ranch when weather permits. There's a pool table in his house. Shelves are filled with model airplanes he's built. His granddaughter, Anna Nellor, owner of Anointed Acupuncture in Fort Collins, comes to visit, enjoys playing games with her grandfather, and is always willing to give him an acupuncture treatment.

Descended from Germans from Russia, Greenwald served as an interpreter during a stint in the Army in World War II. He interpreted for an honor corps in France during the historic surrender of the German troops. He also interpreted for German prisoners of war, and more than 60 years later, a copy of a Stradivarius violin, given him by a German prisoner, is now the proud possession of Erin, a talented granddaughter who will soon play it at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Greenwald's love of airplanes led him to work as an airplane mechanic for a time, but he is best known for the long years he spent as "Smiling Sam," the meat cutter at Aggie Market, now Aggie Liquors, in Fort Collins.

Goodyear has become informed about the resources available to help with her dad's care.

"We'll take all the help we can get," Greenwald said.

Father and daughter recently met with Lynette McGowan, caregiver support program coordinator with the county's Office on Aging (498-7758). She is also a family connections committee member for Elder Care Network, a nonprofit organization with members who are case managers, counselors, financial planners and home-care givers dedicated to increasing awareness of community services available to seniors.

McGowan said the organization exists to support family caregivers. Currently about half those served are spouses and the rest, like Goodyear, are adult children caring for a parent. The organization maintains a web site (www.eldercarenet.org) and each year sponsors a senior law day.

Caring for a spouse or parent in need takes time, effort, dedication and financial resources. It also takes patience, cooperation and understanding on the part of the giver and receiver.

"When I was a teenager, my dad and I had our moments," Goodyear said. "Things are different now, thank goodness.