Ruben
Ruben has diabetic retinopathy resulting in low vision. One of his eyes became infected, which could only be treated by a specialist in Chicago. His Managed Care Organization is supposed to provide transportation to and from his medical appointments, but they were very unreliable, and he missed several crucial appointments.
The cost of private transportation to and from these appointments was $150.00 each way, and sometimes he had multiple appointments in one week. He lives independently in his community, but because of the cost for transportation, he was not able to pay his rent, and was at risk of nursing facility placement.
His local CIL was able to use charitable trust/unrestricted funding to provide rental assistance for Ruben, thereby deflecting nursing facility placement. The CIL was also able to provide a One-Sight voucher to Ruben for new glasses, a 3x lighted magnifier, a 3x lighted floor full page daylight magnifier, a smartlux digital reader and a talking thermometer. Last, but not least, Ruben enjoys attending Options CIL Peer Support meetings.
