Hosea Robinson loves providing full-time care to his parents, Shirley and Leonard Robinson, who each experienced strokes within a year of each other. Hosea Robinson participates in the Aging Services Division Caregiver Respite Program that lets him take care of himself in order to take care of his beloved parents.
After Shirley and Leonard Robinson reared their seven children and retired as servicestation owners, they imagined a life of ease and relaxation. The couple, though, found that Social Security couldn’t make ends meet. Shirley decided to cut costs by only taking a half dose of her medication to treat high-blood pressure. In January 2002, a stroke stole her retirement dreams.
“She was the superglue of our family. The glue came apart,” said Hosea Robinson, the couple’s middle child.
Just over a year later, a stroke also captured Leonard Robinson, his wife’s caregiver. Hosea, a nurse technician, gave up his career and chose to stay with his parents.
“I wasn’t banking on taking care of both parents,” said Hosea, of Oklahoma City. “We don’t believe in nursing homes. This is my job. I take pride in my work. They did it for us.”
Hosea administers medication, checks vital signs, tests their blood sugar, as well as feeds, cleans and provides for his parents. Neither parent can walk nor talk, though Hosea enjoys taking outings with them. They attend church and go shopping, with the younger Robinson strapping the two wheelchairs together and pushing a cart. His father attends an adult day center two days a week.
“These are my babies,” said the never-married Hosea. “We wouldn’t leave our mama and daddy.”
Providing care 24 hours a day, even when it’s decorated with love and devotion, can cause wear and tear on a caregiver. Through the Aging Services Division ADvantage Waiver program, Hosea participates in the Caregiver Respite Program. The program pays a helper of the participant’s choosing to provide care while the caregiver takes a much-needed break. A few times a month, Hosea Robinson heads to a movie, visits friends or just takes a walk by himself while his respite provider, sister Wanda Todd, cares for their parents.
“He doesn’t like to leave them,” said Todd of her brother.
Nearly 2,300 Oklahomans who care for family members unable to care for themselves receive respite care services through OKDHS. The ADvantage Waiver program helps older Oklahomans and Oklahomans with disabilities who are eligible for nursing home care under Medicaid receive home- and community-based services. The program enables Oklahomans to remain in their own homes and receive services.
“Mama was just trying to make it and do it on her own,” said Hosea. “She taught us to take care of ourselves and each other.”