BENTON, MAINE, Maine — Kendra Lovejoy spends most of her day with her 81-year-old mom. She says they have good days, and they have bad days. Her mom moved in six years ago.
Lovejoy says she is fortunate that she's able to work from home, but caring for an aging parent is difficult. Her mom has dementia.
"You see your mom like this and it's devastating," she said. "It just breaks my heart."
Her mom is also in remission from breast cancer.
Lovejoy recently started looking for in-home care assistance.
"Because she can bathe herself because she can walk and because she can walk, she doesn't qualify."
Lovejoy says she doesn't know what else to do, and she can't afford private help. Her focus isn't just on finding help in the short term, but down the road, too.
"What if something happens to me? What if I'm sick?"
And she was sick, not long ago. Lovejoy is three years in remission from thyroid cancer. She has talked about the possibility of finding a nursing home or assisted living facility if she were to get sick again. But she's concerned there's no guarantee the one they choose will stay open.
"Nursing homes are closing and they're probably closing because there are no workers to be had."
And she's right. In Maine one-fifth of the population is 65 or older. With a worker shortage, there aren't enough people to fill the demand for caretaking jobs. On top of that, nursing homes are closing at an alarming rate.
So, many people, like Kendra Lovejoy, are providing care at home for their own parents 24-7.
Lovejoy enjoys helping her mom find the right pieces to the latest puzzle they're working on, but she's puzzled herself, not knowing where to find the help she needs, now.
"Why wait until you actually need somebody to come in?"