Therese Michel and her daughter, Souerrette, on Therese’s 84th birthday in October in Florida, where her daughter is her caregiver. Photo courtesy of Souerrette Michel.

Souerrette Michel remembers well the day in Spring 2017 when she returned early to her Miramar, Fla. home from visiting Haiti. As soon as she arrived, Michel had to rush her mother, 79-year-old Therese Michel, to the hospital. On the way there, Therese lost consciousness.

Hospital staff put Therese on a ventilator and intubated her to keep her trachea open for air, and doctors then diagnosed Therese with COPD. 

Overview:

Caregivers for elders have stress, financial difficulties and lack of time as they work two jobs, care for elders longer and with more significant illnesses.

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J.O. Haselhoef is the author of “Give & Take: Doing Our Damnedest NOT to be Another Charity in Haiti.” She co-founded "Yonn Ede Lot" (One Helping Another), a nonprofit that partnered with volunteer groups in La Montagne ("Lamontay"), Haiti from 2007-2013. She is a 2022 Fellow for the Columbia School of Journalism's Age Boom Academy. She writes and lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.