She is only different in the eyes of others.  I am attaching  a picture that represents the sweetness of my girl taken years ago but it is my favorite; the only school picture that turned out well.  I smiled at her and she smiled back and a miracle happened….my girl Bibi is 39 and severely Autistic….UDWA means so much to me….they have given me an outlet to tell my story.…IHSS literally saved our lives….without it my girl would be in jeopardy because she is a big girl and non-verbal….she is truly the love of my life and now I can share her with everyone!

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I’m thirty years old preparing for a career, finishing a doctoral degree on scholarship and I don’t think I should have to leave the state or live in a nursing home or leave the state because I need support services. Here is a poem I wrote before I even heard about this contest. I hope it gets through to people. Read the rest of this entry »

My name is Rosy Haskins Perez and I want to share the story of my beautiful, amazing daughter Mandy.  She is a happy 34 year old; a young lady who continues to bless everyone that knows her.  The IHSS program here in California has made it possible for me to be her full time care giver and because of that, we have been able to keep Mandy at home with us where she continues to improve.

At the young age of 17, Mandy was in a car accident and she suffered a broken collar bone, a punctured lung and most devastating of all, a traumatic brain injury, which put her in a coma for 3 months.  We were told by all of the neurologists that if she lived, she would be a vegetable.. We were told to put her in a nursing home and we were given no hope of recovery. Read the rest of this entry »

How can you put a price on love?  My amazing son sings all my songs by heart but can’t cross the street safely!  Stands up at a Celtic Women concert and blows kisses to the girls, but would accidentally burn down the kitchen if not watched.  This wonderful young man who would wander away and go into any house on the street, is my reason for living. He is the greatest joy I have ever known, and also the one who makes it impossible to work out of the house, or have any freedom like adults usually have.  I have made the sacrifices willingly and with great love and joy.  My life is caring for my son.  Everything else takes second place. Read the rest of this entry »

As an IHSS provider I know that I’m more than just a “care-giver”.  And Linda (my client) is more than just a recipient. As well as not being able to do certain chores and errands without help, she really depends on my companionship as well.  Over the last four months I have become a friend to Linda.  Even the littlest things like, a hug, a kind word or just a smile means so much to her. She is so afraid she is going to “lose me” — as her only friend, I know it would devastate her already fragile mental state.  I realize that there is fraud that happens, but people like Linda are not the offenders.  They truly need help and I hope the help they are getting is not taken away from them.

I am proud to make a difference in someone’s life.

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My son is 28 years old and he was born with Cerebral Palsy.  He has had 8 operations throughout his lifetime.  He’s also wheelchair bound.  The importance of IHSS: A tremendous impact in my family for the following reasons:  As a father, husband and a provider I have been able to provide for my family and my son’s daily needs.  Working from home has also allowed me to make a little extra money by assisting other Consumers.  I am a professional who has used all my skills Read the rest of this entry »

I promised her.  And so, we were happy that there was no fracture.  The next day when we visited the doctor he asked her; “What bothers you the most?”  She said “Living in a nursing home.  I want to take my last breath in my own home.”  The doctor also promised to do his best. Read the rest of this entry »

I have been raising my nonverbal autistic grandson and his bipolar brother since the one was 2 years old and the latter 5 years old.  My daughter had a breakdown and was not able to deal with them since she has her own disorders to deal with.  My husband and I took turns watching our grandson as he slept very little during those days.  We were like a tag team with one sleeping while the other was watching.  I could no longer keep up my antique and collectible business because I had no one to leave this child with. Read the rest of this entry »

If it were not for IHSS and my very competent and caring IHSS provider I would be living in a nursing home. I have terminal cancer and can no longer care for myself in important ways. I have no nearby relatives for emotional, financial or other support so I depend heavily on the unconditional love my two small dogs give me on a daily basis. I don’t know what I would do without them. They mean everything to me. Of course they would not be allowed to be with me in a nursing home and I would be extremely bereft. Read the rest of this entry »

Please allow my child to continu8e to receive In Home Supportive Service in her home. The alternative to in home care would be a state run facility which would not be in her best interest. Below is a poem which I wrote for her. The services of IHSS enable me, as her mother, to give her all she needs for her daily care.
Thank you in advance for reading my poem, Read the rest of this entry »

My Son lost half of his brain to a stroke.  He needs IV’s every day to stop the grand mal seizures.  Without this, he would have to live in a hospital costing you — the tax payer — more taxes.  The IHSS Program has given him another chance at life.  He has 3 IHSS providers.  Their pay is far less than the hospital workers are being paid. Read the rest of this entry »

IHSS is vital key not just for our elderly and disadvantaged families, but for our society as well.   There are many families still not even aware that IHSS is available for them. Nor are they educated to know the many provisions they could acquire assistance from IHSS. There many elderly and disadvantaged people, without family, who are also in desperate need of IHSS. Read the rest of this entry »

I cannot express how appreciative we are that I am able to be my daughter’s IHSS care provider.  She  was finally diagnosed in the autism spectrum when she was 5 years old. At the time both my husband and I worked full time to support our family of 6 which left my daughter in the care of others.   Read the rest of this entry »

IHSS has been a God send for us. My name is Tammie Johnson; the person I care for is my 25 year old daughter.  Cora has a rare auto immune disorder.  She suffers from seizures, joint pain and swelling and is now in a wheel chair for most of her day.  When I had to quit my job to care for her full time I was so worried how we would make it.  I worked as a nurse tech for 20 years.  Cora has SSI but that would not have supported us and we could not afford a private nurse.  IHSS not only help me to provide Cora the care she needs it also provided us a way to stay together.  If it were not for this program I would have been forced to put my baby girl in a nursing home.  Cora is now working hard to finish her degree online and is in good spirits.  I am so grateful for this program.  It gave me peace of mind and allows my daughter to remain in her home and to be a 25 year old.  

I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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I am writing a story about us. Today, “us” only includes my son and I.  However, before October 27,2009, “Us” also included my mother, Charlotte Ann McAmis Humphries.  My mother died on October 27, 2009.  She was 72 years young.  She had Parkinson’s Disease. I have been working for IHSS for 9 1/2 years.  I was my mother’s primary caregiver, as well as my son’s.  So, for almost nine years, I was taking care of both my mother and my son.  My mother DID NOT want to go a nursing home. Read the rest of this entry »

My son is 22 years old but cognitively a 6 month old.  He’s about 4 ft 2 and weighs 63 lbs.  He is the love of my life my heart and soul.  He is happy ALL the time.  From the time he wakes up til bedtime he is happy.  He loves chocolate and ice cream.  I promised him when he was born with Down’s Syndrome and when his heart needed surgery at 6 months old, and his brain was damaged that I would ALWAYS take care of him.   Read the rest of this entry »

I have been an homecare provider for a lady named Helen in Riverside, CA for about six months now.  I really have enjoyed working for her.  We get along nicely.  I take her to the doctors and run errands with her.  I also clean her house and do laundry.  It has been nice getting to know her.  I like working for her.  She has been one of the few people that I like in the past few years of being with the IHSS Public Authority.

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Everyone has a story, even me.  Mine is no better than the rest and I won’t profess to being a poet let alone a writer.  i do have feelings and I have a point of view as being a parent of a special needs child.  I chose to be a single stay at home mom but i couldn’t do it without the financial help from my son’s SSI and public assistance for which I am ashamed.  I knew of no one who had a child like mine who wasn’t either married, or that had support from family and friends.  His name is Sean and he has Downs Syndrome. Read the rest of this entry »

I have been an IHSS worker since December of 2009. I currently have one client.  I was browsing a website that posts domestic jobs and responded to an ad by a lady that really needs an IHSS worker.  When I heard that the Governor was going to cut the IHSS workers pay rate, that appalled me.  People like this woman that I went to see yesterday about another caregiving position, make me wonder — who is running our state?  Why would you balance the State’s budget on the backs of the poor?  This program was created to help the underdog who really needs help with day to day needs that they (the recipient of the IHSS worker) cannot do themselves.  The state would be just shooting themselves in the foot.

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