SAN ANTONIO – More than 33,000 people in Bexar County are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease, and the cost to provide care for loved ones living with the disease can leave a lot of families with little to no help.
However, a nonprofit organization, Meals on Wheels San Antonio, is working to help those families by lowering the rates at the Grace Place Alzheimer’s Center.
Laura Hernandez said her mother, Lupe Cardenas, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2020. She also shared that she has been bringing Cardenas to Grace Place for more than a year.
“My mom is a girly girl. She loves to get her nails and hair done—she’s happiest when everything matches,” Laura said.
Hernandez said medical bills and the cost of medical assistance were expensive for her family, which is why they had to stop bringing Cardenas to Grace Place, though only for a “short time.”
In June, Meals on Wheels implemented new, more affordable rates at the Grace Place Alzheimer’s Center.
“What we’ve found is the earlier someone joins us and starts engaging in activities and socializing, the longer families get to hold onto the person they know,” said Ariana Barbour, the director of marketing and communications for Meals on Wheels San Antonio & Grace Place Alzheimer’s Center.
The reduced costs have not only helped Cardenas return to Grace Place but also brought balance back to Hernadez’s life as a caregiver.
Hernandez now has time to support her father — Cardenas’ primary caregiver — and be present for her four grandchildren.
“I have a 7-year-old, a 5-year-old, a 3-and-a-half-year-old, and a 3-year-old. Three boys and one little princess granddaughter,” Hernadez said, in part. “Spending time with them brings me so much joy.”
More importantly, Cardenas is thriving. Each day, when her husband comes to pick her up, she’s smiling and singing.
“She’s happy. Every day when he picks her up, she’s extremely happy,” Laura shared. “She even waves him in to come sing along.”
For families navigating Alzheimer’s in Bexar County, Grace Place is now not just a place of care, but a place of hope.
For more information about services and rates at Grace Place Alzheimer’s Center, visit mowsatx.org or contact Meals on Wheels San Antonio.
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