JUst when you think things are going OK....

[muttmeister]

difficult child 1 has grown into an amazingly responsible (for a difficult child) kind of person. He lives about 2 hours from me (has a wife and her 2 kids). They plan ahead, pay their bills, etc. Sometimes I help them out a little but I very seldom need to.

He called me at 4 AM on Thursday night/Friday morning. He'd just gotten home from the emergency room. Had been riding his bicycle and crashed. I suspect he had been drinking (he is still a difficult child after all) but he has always been very particular about not drinking and driving. I guess he didn't get the message that you need good balance on a bike.

Anyway, he landed on his right shoulder. Completely tore the ligament. The two bones that are supposed to be together are 3" apart. He is supposed to see the orthopedic surgeon next week. They told him he couldn't work for a week but his boss said somebody he knew had a similar injury and couldn't work for over 6 months.

His wife doesn't work. They do get food stamps and he says his medical stuff should mostly be covered by Medicaid but I don't know what they're going to do about rent, utilities, etc. I am short myself right now and can't help much.

I told him to have his wife contact their case worker to see if there is anything that could help them. Does anybody know what happens in a situation like that? Will they just end up out in the street? I haven't slept for several nights worrying about what they are going to do as I don't think I can help much.

 

[DammitJanet]

I do believe there is a program for temporary assistance to needy families with both parents in the home if someone is injured or unable to work but it is very time limited. Just for these type situations. Too bad he didnt have the aflac duck though huh.

 

[hearts and roses]

Since they are already in the system, they may not have a difficult time getting some kind of housing funding. Contacting caseworker should be a priority, getting a note from the ortho next week for sure so they have it documented what the estimated time of recovery is. Also, will he be eligible for unemployment or does his work carry disability insurance? If so, he needs to file right away as there is usually a 7 day waiting period from date of injury to the date you can begin collecting disability. Definitely contact the caseworker and check his place of employment for disability coverages. Oh, tough break, and your story scared me as H is out riding his bike right now! My big fear is that he will crash and I will have to call all the hospitals to find him because he refuses to ride with an ID. Best of luck to them.

 

[Hound dog]

Ditto what the others have said.

If that doesn't work, perhaps their landlord will work with them since this is due to an injury and they've been on time paying up until now. Utilities can be assisted by community action......but they rarely step in unless there is a disconnect notice. At least that is the way it works here.

Sorry to hear about the injury. At least difficult child was trying to be semi responsible (in a difficult child way), but yeah balance is a good thing to have while bike riding......

I hope it heals quickly. With tendons and ligaments it depends on the injury and the individual as far as healing time. Could be a fairly short time or a couple of weeks.

Hugs

 

[Star*]

Have them call the caseworker at the hopsital --------there's one in every hospital that should know where all the resources are for rent, food, utilities.

If that is of no help - come back to us here - and Im sure we're all resourceful for suggestions and can PM you for your area.

Churches (even if not a member) are also a great resource, and United Way, Catholic Charities, Lutheran Charities. Also the Foodstamp office and LIHEAP offices should have places (pantries) for other resources they can tap for now. Here it's called TANF (temporary Assistance for Needy Families)

 

[HaoZi]

Also have him contact United Way to inquire about housing assistance and referrals to other local programs that might be able to help.

 

[svengandhi]

If he works, how about checking into disability?

 

[muttmeister]

No disability through his work. He sees the orthopedic surgeon on Monday. Maybe after that we'll have a better idea of what time frame we're looking at. Wife is trying to get a job fast; difficult child can watch the kids. We'll see.

Thanks for all of the ideas.