For the past 25 years, James “Jim” Caton has been a caregiver for his son, Patrick Caton. Patrick is a wheelchair user and has survived a stroke. From building ramps to helping with physical therapy, Jim has adapted his life to best care for his son.
When Patrick was five years old, he was diagnosed with diabetes. With the guidance of his parents, Patrick learned to manage his diabetes on his own and self-administer insulin well into his adult life. In July 2000, Patrick’s fiancée found him showing symptoms of a severe insulin reaction, which medical staff later believed were symptoms of a stroke. Patrick was rushed to a hospital, where he had an MRI, which involved giving him iodine despite his allergy. The next day at a second hospital, he was given fast-acting insulin instead of the slow-acting insulin that the doctor ordered.
These events resulted in Patrick being paralyzed and losing his speech and both kidneys. Through rehabilitation and physical therapy, Patrick has regained some of his mobility and parts of his speech
What caregiving looks like for Jim and Patrick
As Patrick’s caregiver, Jim monitors his vitals, cooks, helps him get out of bed, get dressed, and stretch. They also try to get out of the house every day, whether that's going to the grocery store, museum, the movie theater, or the speech aphasia group they attend.
Through Ability360’s Home Care Services program, Jim has been able to get paid to be Patrick’s caregiver, which has allowed him to stay home to care for his son rather than needing to go to a traditional job and hire a different caregiver or place Patrick in an institutional setting.
“It takes me about 100 hours a week to take care of him, and it has made it impossible for me to get a second job. So being able to have some income via Ability360 was a real benefit,” Jim said. “They've always responded promptly to any extra assistance we needed.”
Jim and Patrick moved to the East Coast to be closer to the rest of their family, but they weren’t able to find the resources that they needed.
“Much to my dismay, when I actually entered into the process of applying, they turned me down over something so simple as the fact that I was both his caregiver and I was also his guardian, his legal guardian by the court,” Jim said of his time seeking services elsewhere in the country. “Their policies back there did not permit that.”
Jim and Patrick moved back to Arizona for the resources provided by Ability360 and the healthcare they received here in the Valley.
The benefit of family caregiving
Jim, being Patrick’s caregiver, has also helped in other ways. Jim said that he feels comforted by the knowledge that his son is getting cared for properly and that it is easier for Patrick to have his caregiver be a family member.
“If they have a loved one who’s staying with them, there’s got to be some benefit emotionally and in terms of the long term,” Jim said. “You feel better than if every year you get a different caregiver. It's good that you can get the caregiver, but wouldn't it be much better to have somebody who you know very well and know about them personally?”
"Ability360 is like a friend,” Jim continued. “You can talk honestly with them and expect them to talk honestly with you, and you can’t ask for a better situation than that. The two of you, or in our case, the three of us, have a mutual bond.”
Ability360 has helped families like the Catons through our Home Care services and through funding from the Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS). If you are a caregiver for a family member and want to get access to our resources and earn a paycheck, please visit the Ability360 Home Care Services webpage to learn more.