At 112, the oldest U.S. veteran can still tell stories of his childhood in Louisiana and Mississippi, and of being drafted in World War II. But Lawrence Brooks' body is getting weaker, and that’s been a challenge for his primary caregiver: his daughter.
FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2019 file photo, World War II veteran Lawrence Brooks sports a lipstick kiss on his cheek, planted by a member of the singing group Victory Belles, as he celebrates his 110th birthday at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. She patted the shaving cream carefully on his cheeks and along his jaw before sliding the razor across his face to make a clean strip.
Each day, Vanessa starts early, bringing him medications, cleaning him and his space, loading his wheelchair onto the electric lift when he has doctor’s appointments.Brooks recently qualified for a program that will allow a VA home-health care aide come to their house during the day to help Vanessa. But she said there are a lot of personal care needs that he only feels comfortable with her attending to, keeping most of the responsibility on her.
“It’s a very common story, and the people who are affected the most are those people who are in low wage, hourly wage jobs,” said Howard Gleckman, a retirement policy expert with the Urban Institute think tank. Even with an aide from the VA coming to help care for her father, she doesn’t think she can go back to work anytime soon.