JOSEPH.

When he was a teenager, Joseph suffered a traumatic brain injury as the result of an automobile accident. Later diagnosed with schizophrenia, he lived with his parents in their home, a recluse who was afraid of contact with the outside world.

At 62, with his parents long gone, a brother would cash his SSI checks and bring food to the house, leaving it on the kitchen table while Joseph hid in the back. When the brother died, no one was left to provide even that small help. The health department became involved. Joseph’s home was infested with mice, there was no running water, dirt coated the walls and floors, and bed linens had not been washed in years. On the kitchen counters rotting food sat coated in dust.

The health department worked with Adult Protective Services who had Joseph sent to a local hospital. While there, the hospital contacted CARE to establish a guardianship for Joseph. CARE worked with the hospital to arrange for a safe discharge to an Assisted Living apartment where Joseph received medical care, meals, and the privacy that was very important to him. CARE then worked to sell the home so that the proceeds could be used for Joseph’s long-term benefit.