Dedicated Caregiver Mother to her Son from Iraq Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.
Caregiving Roles The Advocate
After her son was severely wounded in Iraq a mother became his voice
Alan Babin, left, was severely injured in Iraq and his parents, Rosie and Alain, work every day to help him live his life to the fullest. Ilana Panich-Linsman Rosie and Alain Babin, 57 and 58, of Round Rock, Texas, care for their son Alan, now 37, who was severely wounded in 2003 while serving as a medic with the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army in Iraq. After being hit by an AK-47 bullet that ripped through his torso, Alan lost his spleen and 90 percent of his stomach, and suffered damage to his liver and diaphragm. During treatment, he contracted meningitis and had a stroke that left him semicomatose for 2½ years. He is now in a wheelchair, legally blind, paralyzed in his legs and abdomen, and lives with his parents. Alain is the assistant chief of police in Round Rock; Rosie gave up working to become Alan’s primary caregiver and advocate. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Rosie: After the stroke, Alan was uncommunicative so I had to be his voice. Because of his brain injury, his memory is not 100 percent, so he needs help remembering his history, the procedures he had and his appointments. He tends to get confused in terms of time and space. He’s very sweet and compliant, which has made it easier to be his caregiver. It’s very much a — my husband Alain helps a lot, our daughter Christy does, too, and we have an amazing . The military wanted to send him to a nursing home, but we wanted to bring him home. Our goal has always been to treat him with dignity and respect even on days when he acts innocent and childlike. ...People step up and want to help, but they don’t always know how to help. — Rosie Babin Rosie cooks most of Alan's meals so she can ensure his body is getting the nutrition it needs. Ilana Panich-Linsman All the bedrooms in our house are on the second floor. We were blessed to have a contractor build a 400-square-foot ADA-compliant suite for Alan on the first floor, as part of a community project. It has a hospital bed and a roll-in shower for Alan. It opens into the living room and dining room and has its own entrance. I still prepare most of his meals and monitor his nutrition, and I get him to his VA appointments, which are almost a two-hour drive away. As we age and get weaker, he’s getting . He can use his arms to propel his wheelchair. He’s able to put on and take off a shirt, feed himself and take medication from a dispenser I organize. In the last year, he’s been able to do his own laundry — we have a front-loading machine — and fold his clothes himself. His speech has improved, and he can text with his friends. Alan is legally blind, but the young man can spot a Starbucks from five blocks away. AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe , I’ve also worked to bring attention to the needs of caregivers. One thing I’ve learned is that when there’s a need, people step up and want to help — but they don’t always know how to help. Alan goes out with the help of his father, as well as the Wounded Warrior Project's Independence Program. Ilana Panich-Linsman Being a caregiver is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done and the thing I’ve ever done. I feel like I’ve given birth to my son twice. It’s been 15 years since he was wounded, and he still has not plateaued in his recovery. After the stroke, my husband and I were prepared to fall in love with a whole new Alan, but we were able to get our son back. He has the same sunny personality that he always did, and we still get to hug our son every day. That’s been a joy. — As told to Stacey Colino AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS