Hi,
My name is Pamela Robinson and I am 75 years old. I have spinal stenosis and arthritis in my lower back which causes my back muscles to cramp and is painful most of the time. It is difficult and painful for me to bend over. I also have trouble walking because I don’t have very good balance. I have fallen 5 times, luckily I was not injured. Due to the pain in my back and my lack of balance, I have not been able to take a shower anymore because I’ve had a few close calls almost falling in the shower. My husband and I began looking at walk in tubs, but we could not afford one. We ended up getting a lift chair for the bathtub, but I still have difficulty getting in and out of the tub due to back pain and lack of balance. A letter from my doctor says “Pam Robinson is a patient of mine, who suffers from chronic low back pain and from my standpoint I recommend her having a walk-in tub. I do feel that this is medically necessary due to her chronic back pain along with generalized muscular weakness. This would certainly benefit her as she is a high risk for falling.” My husband decided I needed a walk in bath, so we found a new one for $5,100.00. We also need to pay someone to install the tub and that will cost $3,500.00 for a total of $8,600.00. We have already purchased the tub, but such a large expenditure has put us in an extremely tight financial condition. I am asking for financial help to replace the $8,600.00 it’s costing for the walk in tub and the installation. We are both retired and have no additional income other than social security and our retirement plans. I am afraid that we are going to run out of money if we can’t find a way to replace it. We would normally not spend money we couldn’t afford, but without the walk in tub, I have no way to bathe or shampoo my hair. We both retired from a state agency with 12 years of service and we get social security. That and a $148 per month Roth IRA is all we have coming in. Thanks for your consideration and any help you can send.
