My husband works about 60 a week. It’s hard for him to get me to my doctor appointments, grocery shopping and other errands. I stumble doing housework. It’s hit or miss with me. Maybe help with meal prep. I’m nearly isolated because I have to watch the amount of time I’m around people due to a poor immune system. I’m legally blind. I would love putting some kind of puzzles together. Part of my need to exercise my brain. I’ve had 11 brain procedures in 15 years. I have balance issues. Would really walks in the neighborhood. I use a walker. I guess I really need companionship. My therapist encouraged me to look in this for my husband has become very tired keeping up with work, his care, his stuff. He’s recovering from a nervous breakdown due to 15 years of helping me.
Social services for your county
You local Area Agency on Aging (if you're a senior)
Call 2-1-1 to be directed to the most appropriate help
Contact local churches for possible rides and short-term financial help.
You don't mention your age, but if you are a senior, you can sign up to attend an Adult Daycare Center, where they will pick you up and drop you back off at home if needed, and you can be there up to 5 days a week and 8 hours a day.
They will feed you breakfast, lunch and a snack, and they offer all kinds of different activities. Of course there is a daily charge(here in my city it's $55/day)but if money is an issue they do also provide financial help.
You can also check with you local Senior Services as they too offer help in various areas.
I'm sorry that your husband chooses to leave you all by yourself for so many hours during the day, especially since you're legally blind and a fall risk. I do hope that you at least have some type of fall device on you or some way to contact someone if you were to fall or get injured in any way.
You can also hire help through Care.com or the like to assist you with what you would like help with. Plus you can call Trans-aid to come pick you up and take you where you need to go, and when you're done, they will come back to pick you up.
I wish you well in getting some more enjoyment and activities back in your life.
15 years of taking care of someone is a long time to be at it. The husband had a nervous breakdown. How much can be expected of one person?
Lealonnie told this OP how to help herself using this site. There are all kinds of options.
Wishing you the best of luck.
Your insurance plan may offer free transportation for shopping as well. I think Walmart now has a special service for visually impaired customers.
Here are some puzzle options that are enjoyable and designed for people who are legally blind. They can help keep your mind active and sharp.
Tactile Puzzles
- Tactile jigsaw puzzles with raised edges or textured pieces.
- Pegboards or pattern blocks with textures to recreate patterns.
- 3‑D construction sets with large, easy-to-feel pieces.
Board & Table Games
- Tactile chess, checkers or backgammon boards with raised squares and shaped pieces.
- Dominoes with raised pips or Braille dominoes.
- Playing cards with Braille or tactile markings for games like solitaire or rummy.
Braille & Raised-Print Puzzles
- Braille crossword, word-search or word-jumble books.
- Braille sudoku or other logic-grid puzzles.
Audio & Spoken Puzzles
- Audio crosswords, puzzle podcasts or radio shows.
- Verbal logic puzzles and lateral-thinking riddles.
- Audio sudoku or math puzzles you play by voice.
Accessible Apps & Voice Games
- Screen-reader–friendly puzzle apps for iPhone or Android.
- Voice-assistant games (Alexa or Google Assistant) with trivia, word games and memory challenges.
Finding These Puzzles
- Local low-vision or blindness organizations and libraries often lend Braille or tactile puzzle books.
- Specialty adaptive-game retailers sell tactile and Braille games.
- DIY: add textures or raised-dot labels to pieces or cards to make your own tactile puzzles.
I hope you find some of these puzzles fun and helpful for keeping your mind active.
You can order your groceries online and have them delivered, so no need to wait for your husband to take you to the grocery store. This will also free up his time when he's home from work. In your order, you can buy ready-made meals and frozen meals that just require a microwave, to reduce your need for meal prep.
You can also contact your city or county aging department and probably qualify for Meals on Wheels delivery if it's available in your area. Even if you aren't a senior, your health conditions should qualify you. Usually the drivers can't stay and visit because they have a route to keep, but a quick hello and brief chat with regular people will reduce your feeling of isolation a bit.
Use paper plates and plastic utensils to reduce the need to do dishes. The ready-made/frozen meals and MOW delivery will will also reduce your need to do dishes and kitchen cleaning. Hire someone for a few hours every week or two to clean your house. You can find someone on NextDoor.com or Care.com. This will reduce your fall risk and your husband's need to do work on his limited time off from work.
Have you checked into whether your medical conditions entitle you to have a physical and/or occupational therapist come to your home under your insurance or Medicare?
You can get audiobooks from your local library. You may be able to find puzzles that work with your vision limitations on ebay.
So many great helpful suggestions from the others here. I hope you'll check into all of them and please let us know how you're doing.
I'm sorry to see you in your situation. Your husband cannot keep up with his work and your needs any longer and requires home help, whether he is working out of economic necessity or not. Good advice from our readers and I wish you the best.
You are doing the right thing, reaching out on your own for yourself.
1) The Council on Aging is at our Senior Center, locally.
They can refer you to rides for Seniors, some are free.
They may send a volunteer to walk with you.
Sign up as a client to get a caseworker, then any services you can qualify for, such as meals on wheels or in home help.
2) Your health insurance may provide rides as a benefit, now more common if you have a Medicare Advantage Plan.
3) To get started on walks in your neighborhood;
To get a temporary companionship;
To get rehabilitation so you won't stumble doing housework and correct balance issues;
ask your doctor to prescribe a physical therapist (sometimes 6-8 wks. is allowed by insurance) to come to your home for a time. I have seen the physical therapist walk the neighborhood with their clients. The doctor's order is key.
What I would like for you to consider is that getting a physical therapist is for physical therapy. However, doing that may temporarily provide for other needs
to be met, an aside benefit.
One thing that may help with companionship is to hire a housekeeper. At least you answer the door, instruct the person what you need done. There to do a job, but it requires a hello at least. The housekeeper can do laundry, freeing up time for your husband.
Soon you will be more independent from your husband's care, and will be able to enjoy a better relationship with him, instead of him as your caregiver.
I think housekeepers and gardeners are generally less expensive than a caregiver, so start by using them to free up both yours and your husband's time needed for other activities.
Have you a short vacation planned-two overnights at a beach with your husband?