Emotional Mother’s Day Decision Rips Apart Son

Baltimore, MD - May 1, 2008 – It’s Mother’s Day heartbreak for anyone - watching your once active mom, who used to garden and go for walks, deteriorate into someone who can’t move without a walker. That’s what happened to 91 year-old Helen McClain after she fell and hurt her hip. Helen is not alone. A staggering one third of people age 65 or older fall and one in 40 is hospitalized.

“My mom isn’t the same and it’s very sad,” said Helen’s 62 year old son, Larry McClain. “I’m trying to take care of my mom, but I have my family and my job and the stress is often crippling.”

This Mother’s Day, millions of Americans face this same struggle.

· 45 million households in America today provide care for an elderly loved one. ( 2/3 of the U.S. population)

· Due to medical advances, seniors are living longer. 36 million seniors live in the U.S. and the population will double to 70 million or 20% of the population.

· The primary caregiver, generally the middle aged oldest daughter child like Larry, spends an average of almost 20 hours per week caring for an elderly parent.

· 80% of caregivers report emotional strain.

· Half report financial strain and miss work on a regular basis to take care of aging parents.

While Larry McClain struggled with the unbearable choice of keeping his mother in his own home or putting her in a nursing home, Helen insisted on staying in her own home, even though she can’t make it alone.

Then Larry heard about Senior Helpers, in-home personal assistance for seniors. Helen now stays in her own home with a Senior Helpers caregiver there to assist her around the clock, helping Helen with cooking, taking medication, bathing and house cleaning.

“My mom is happy because she got to keep her self-esteem and independence by staying in her own home where she’s surrounded by her favorite things,” said Larry. “Now, with Senior Helpers there to help her, she can go outside and feed the squirrels and sit on the front porch in her favorite chair to feed the birds. “

Tell an EMOTIONAL MOTHER’S DAY STORY like this with solutions. We can provide:

· Interviews/photos/b-roll with families like the McClains in your city, struggling to take care of an elderly parent

· Interviews with elderly care experts in your city who can talk about this explosion in the senior population and the struggles facing baby boomers who must juggle it all – an elderly parent, work, and their own families.

· Interviews about alternatives to nursing homes, like “green homes”, “assisted living homes” or “in home senior care” like Senior Helpers.

· Alarming studies and statistics about America’s huge problem of the ailing elderly.

· 125,000 seniors die each year because of medication mismanagement.

· U.S. corporations lose $34 billion a year because of workers who call out sick to take care of an elderly loved one.

· Americans work longer hours today, live farther apart and can’t take care of their parents if they get sick so what do you do? We have an answer and can get help to your parent out of state in a few hours.

· In a recent survey, seniors fear going to a nursing home more than they fear death.

This story touches a huge chunk of your readers/viewers/listeners this Mother’s Day. We can help you develop this story from many angles and will set up all interviews and photo/b-roll opportunities right in your city. Your audience/ readership does not have to feel helpless anymore. There is now an answer. We’ll help you educate them about solutions to make their lives easier and more peaceful this Mother’s Day.