A Styrian woman cared for her mother for 26 years, couldn’t find a job after her death at the age of 61 – and now, at 77, she’s panicking over the loss of her rental apartment and the fact that she has nothing left to live on. We can help!
There were times when she had three cleaning jobs at the same time just to make ends meet with her lifelong husband. And the example of this couple from Styria clearly shows how quickly you can go from a somewhat ‘normal’ life into a downward spiral, leaving you in great fear as you get older.
At the time, in her thirties, the woman worked as a saleswoman. It “was a normal life, without major changes, but we were happy.” Until shocking news suddenly took her and her husband out of their daily lives: her mother had had a stroke. “Her doctor told us she had one year to live. My husband immediately advocated for me to stop working and take care of her so that we can give her a reasonably good year and be there for her.”
Well – that one year turned into 26! Where the woman was available for the mother 24 hours a day. Without income. As a result, she has no pension today! “When my mother died, I missed five years of working time, so that later I could get the minimum pension and buy extra time, which was unaffordable.”
“All I heard was that I’m already too old.”
When her dear mother died, the woman desperately looked around for a job. “But I just heard that I’m too old, close to retirement and have no experience.” It was hard, she kept herself afloat with every job she could get.
“Someone advised me to get a divorce because then I would have received support. But I couldn’t have divorced my dear husband for the world. That is wrong and unfair, that is not who we are.”
Rent increased to 900 euros – unaffordable!
Somehow, even though a holiday trip for others might be as far away as the moon, things kept going. “It’s so nice here too.” But now they are breaking their necks financially. The rent for the 80 square meter rental apartment with the centuries-old kitchen was increased to 900 euros – without electricity or heating! “That is almost 1200 euros in total. There is also insurance, all that is needed. With my husband’s pension of 2,000 euros, there is not enough left for groceries.”
There is also the idea of settling down in old age: “We lived there for 50 years. Mom always sat there. Here we are looking at the cemetery, right by her grave. We can’t get out of here.’ Maybe you want to help.
Account: “The Crown helps – Styria”, account number: AT152081500044569523. KW seniors. Your donation is also tax deductible.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
