Some leverage, finally

By late summer, Michael was brushing his own hair, feeding himself and trying to take a few steps. The sly jokester was re-emerging, too. Even the butt wave again became routine.

If God could bring him this far against such odds, Michelle reasoned, couldn’t he make him whole?

Michelle Hammer works at the Carrington Place nursing home in Botetourt County, having brought her husband, Michael (right), to work with her.

By now she was working two jobs at Carrington: full-time as a certified nursing assistant and part-time as the activities assistant. It gave her ample opportunity to nudge her husband’s progress along.

Still, friends and co-workers were stunned last fall when she announced that she was taking Michael home.

There was only one stumbling block. They lived in the country.

She found a common scenario not just in Botetourt County but in most rural areas nationwide: Michael qualified for a Medicaid-funded personal-care aide — someone to care for him at home while Michelle continued to work. But as soon as she trained one, the aide would quit for better-paying work elsewhere. Or complain that Michael was simply too heavy to lift.

As tough as it is to find qualified caregivers for hire in Roanoke, “It’s even harder in rural areas,” said Kirk Ballin, president of the Virginia Rural Health Association. Many home-care companies don’t reimburse for mileage, so few aides can afford to take a job that requires traversing the countryside in their personal cars — all for $6 to $8 an hour.

The last aide to work for Michelle quit after two days, complaining that Michael was too heavy and “he won’t stand for me,” according to Michelle.

“They all want a 100-year-old woman who weighs 100 pounds,” she vented.

When she called the agency back to ask about another aide, she was told: We’re sorry. There’s no one else to send.

Soon after, Michelle received a frantic call from a manager at Carrington. The activities director had just quit. Would Michelle, on unpaid family leave at the time, be interested in filling in?

Finally, she had a little leverage on her side.

Sure, she said. She’d be happy to come back — as long as she could bring Michael to work with her.