“I was raised to always take care of my family. I just never dreamed I would have to use Masonic Outreach Services.”
For the past five years, Edward* has been at the side of his wife. Better and worse, health and sickness, he has cooked, cleaned, managed the finances, and driven the long hours to and from Anne’s medical appointments, some more than 100 miles away. Anne, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, is nearing 90 years of age. Edward is 86.
But recently, Edward fell and broke his leg. Confined to a wheelchair and faced with a lengthy recovery, he realized for the first time that he needed help caring for himself. Far more difficult, he realized that he needed help caring for Anne.
“It is so hard to let go of my caregiving duties,” he says. It is an emotional topic. “I was raised to always take care of my family.” But he needed to find another way to keep Anne safe. He turned to Masonic Outreach for help.
Masonic Outreach located a long term memory community for Anne to move into, one that’s close enough for Edward to visit on a daily basis. They also connected Edward with the support he needs to remain safely at home, and enlisted the nearest lodge to check in with him. After all the years that Edward has spent as a caregiver, his brothers are stepping in to care for him.
Edward is moved to tears when he talks about his gratitude. Because of Masonic Outreach, he can still be by his wife’s side daily. He can continue to share his presence and support, with the peace of mind that she is also receiving the professional care that she needs.
“Being a Mason made me a better person,” says Edward. “It’s an extension of what my mother and father demonstrated to our family, the constant love, the constant hope and belief in God and family values.”
Through the challenges of the past five years, and amid the many difficult changes since his injury, Edward has stayed true to those values. As he puts it, “I was raised to always take care of my family.” Masonic Outreach is helping him do that.
*Names have been changed to protect client privacy.