Profile of Reema Zakoor
Profile: Reema Zakoor
Reema Zakoor was born in 1935 and raised in the Middle East. She married at the age of 15, and became a seamstress and homemaker, raising seven children.
In 1990, when Reema was 70 years old, her husband passed away. Reema could no longer live independently and moved from the Middle East to the United States to live with her son and his family in the suburbs of Chicago. Rachel, Reema’s granddaughter, was just four years old at the time. She vaguely remembers that day, but vividly remembers growing up in a house with her grandma and helping her parents care for Reema.
In 2000, at the age of 80, Reema’s health began to steadily deteriorate. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Today, she needs assistance with basic tasks, including bathing and eating. In addition, Reema now suffers from arthritis, and her mobility is extremely limited. Rachel’s father is responsible for all of Reema’s transportation needs, such as hospital and doctor visits, and managing her medications, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
In Cook County, where Reema currently resides, the average elder renter needs $23,686 a year to make ends meet, according to the Illinois Elder Economic Security Standard™ Index (Elder Index). This far exceeds the average Social Security benefit payment of $10,830 in 2009, which is the only income Reema receives.
Even still, $23,686 a year does not reflect the cost of Reema’s long-term care needs. According to the Elder Index, home and community-based long-term care costs can double, or even triple, what an elder needs to meet his or her basic needs. In Cook County long-term care costs range from $7,310 for a low level of care (6 hours a week) to $ 39,597 for a high level of care (36 hours a week) for in-home services.
Reema receives health care assistance through the Low Income Subsidy (LIS) of Medicare Part D and Medicaid to meet her long-term care needs. Previously, however, when living with her son, two caretakers were hired to stay with her while he and his wife worked. This service was covered through a state program for elders and disabled persons in Illinois.
Stories like Reema’s illustrate the importance of both federal and state home and community-based programs. The assistance Reema receives allows her to age in place, without placing the burden of insurmountable debt on her or her family. The Illinois Elder Economic Security Initiative™ offers a conceptual framework and concrete tools, including the Elder Index, to evaluate how well programs and policies are helping elders who need assistance to age in place with economic security.
From a granddaughter’s perspective, Rachel thinks more respite care opportunities should be available for family caregivers and that those currently available need to be strengthened. “As I look back, I realize how much my parents sacrificed to take care of my grandmother without any type of compensation and I think many times caregivers give too much without receiving anything back in return,” she said.
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