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Mrs. Rodriguez

Photo by Tim Cope

Mrs. Rodriguez provides in-home care to her daughter Sarah, age 28, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident two years ago.  Sarah is confined to bed and requires round-the-clock care, but she still takes joy in life, and lives to watch her children grow.  Mrs. Rodriguez and her husband are also raising Sarah’s three young children, ages eight, six and three.  Because their mother receives care at home, the children can enjoy sitting on her bed, reading stories and laughing with her.  Raising three grandchildren and caring for her adult daughter are great joys, but also weighty responsibilities for Mrs. Rodriguez.  “I love my daughter and grandchildren so much,” said Mrs. Rodriguez.  “I’ll do what it takes to keep Sarah at home so that the family can be together.”

After the car accident, Sarah spent time in two different nursing homes.  In the first, a blood clot that went unnoticed by the nursing home staff almost caused her death.  In the second nursing home, Sarah developed severe bedsores because she was not turned often enough.  Afraid for her life and shaken by these close calls, Sarah’s family brought her home.

Mrs. Rodriguez is incredibly dedicated to Sarah, making sure she receives the care she needs so that she can remain at home with her children.  She provides the necessary care with the help of a certified nursing assistant.  When Mrs. Rodriguez received notice that Sarah’s in-home TennCare nursing care would be cut, she called the Tennessee Justice Center.  Mrs. Rodriguez said, “Sarah could not survive, physically or emotionally, in a nursing home.”  However, there would be no other choice for this family, and many others like them, without adequate TennCare home health services. 

TJC recruited Pro Bono attorneys to take Sarah’s case and the case of 19 other Tennesseans impacted by the home health cuts.  TJC continues to work closely with these firms to provide the support they need to pursue the case.  Mrs. Rodriguez has bravely told her daughter’s story at public events to raise awareness about the plight of not only Sarah, but the nearly 1,000 Tennesseans suffering as a result of the TennCare home health cuts.  For now, Sarah’s nursing care is protected by a court order.  Sarah’s mother continues to fight so that Sarah can live as full a life as possible.

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