One cold fall day an elderly woman, Darlene found herself isolated, abandoned by her daughter, and left with only with her daughter’s cat for company. These two souls found comfort in each other in the darkest times with no other family or support system. Darlene adopted her daughter’s cat as her own and it was the beginning of hope in her journey.
Darlene’s experience with Domestic Violence stemmed from her daughter. Darlene never imagined her daughter being the cause of her health deteriorating. Darlene experienced isolation, neglect, financial abuse, and emotional abuse from her daughter. Darlene’s daughter left her abruptly and was left alone with daughter’s cat. The cat was not only malnourished but also had a severe infestation of fleas. Darlene had no experience caring for the cat, which made this a very stressful situation. To make matters worse, Darlene had just undergone her first cataract surgery and struggled financially. Darlene was overwhelmed and too depressed to care for herself and her cat. Despite the apparent struggles, she did not give up on hope.
Darlene was connected to Radiant Futures through our partner, the LGBTQ+ Center OC, which participates in the Elder Abuse Multidisciplinary Team (MDT). The MDT brings together various community partners who primarily work with elderly populations to collaborate on important issues and share resources. In these meetings, service providers discuss cases, share information about events, and provide referrals. The LGBTQ+ Center OC referred Darlene directly to us, seeking additional resources to best support her.
Darlene’s most beloved companion is now her cat, Darlene’s cat was struggling with fleas including health issues. Darlene was constantly worried about the cat and her cataract surgery. Radiant Futures provided her with multiple gift cards to PetSmart to help alleviate the medical costs and purchase cat food as well. Another MDT member, an advocate at La Habra Family Resource Center volunteered with applying the flea medication and purchase the cat food with gift cards supplied by Radiant Futures. We are fortunate to have a compassionate team who goes above and beyond for participants. Darlene’s worries were at ease and the cat’s health had improved.
Darlene celebrated her 82nd birthday during the time she received assistance through Radiant Futures. Darlene’s next step is to attend financial workshops to achieve her financial goals. Darlene was connected to JP Morgan (another partnership at MDT) who provides financial workshops for the community. Darlene recently underwent her second cataract surgery which was a great success! Darlene’s vision has significantly improved, and she is driving again. Darlene is grateful for Radiant Futures and MDT partners for their amazing support; she and her cat are doing well.
The Elder Abuse Program specializes in delivering services to anyone 60+years including 18+years dependent adults with housing, food insecurity, shelter, legal, clinical, clothing, pet care, educational and financial workshops. For more information, please contact the Helpline at 877-531-5527 for more information.