NPR logo NPR
Special Series

Family Matters: The Money Squeeze

Family Matters: Pitching In To Take Care Of Grandma

  • Chris Martin, 14, greets his great-grandmother AnnaBelle Bowers, 87, who lives part time with the Martin family in Harrisburg, Pa. Occasionally, Chris stays at home to watch "Snootzie," as the family affectionately calls her, when his parents are busy.
    Hide caption
    Chris Martin, 14, greets his great-grandmother AnnaBelle Bowers, 87, who lives part time with the Martin family in Harrisburg, Pa. Occasionally, Chris stays at home to watch "Snootzie," as the family affectionately calls her, when his parents are busy.
    Previous Next
    Kainaz Amaria/NPR
  • The Martin family (from left) — David; Chris, 14; Lauren, 12; and LaDonna — gather around AnnaBelle as they look through a photo album of a family vacation.
    Hide caption
    The Martin family (from left) — David; Chris, 14; Lauren, 12; and LaDonna — gather around AnnaBelle as they look through a photo album of a family vacation.
    Previous Next
    Kainaz Amaria/NPR
  • LaDonna talks on the phone with AnnaBelle's granddaughter and LaDonna's sister-in-law, Kelley Hawkins, while helping AnnaBelle with her makeup in her family's living room.
    Hide caption
    LaDonna talks on the phone with AnnaBelle's granddaughter and LaDonna's sister-in-law, Kelley Hawkins, while helping AnnaBelle with her makeup in her family's living room.
    Previous Next
    Kainaz Amaria/NPR
  • LaDonna and Kelley, both nurses, have been jointly caring for AnnaBelle for the past few years, moving her from one home to another every two weeks. She needs assistance with most routine daily activities.
    Hide caption
    LaDonna and Kelley, both nurses, have been jointly caring for AnnaBelle for the past few years, moving her from one home to another every two weeks. She needs assistance with most routine daily activities.
    Previous Next
    Kainaz Amaria/NPR
  • Kelley and her brother, David, wait for their grandmother to catch her breath as she moves from the living room to the car. AnnaBelle's mobility is significantly hampered by rheumatoid arthritis.
    Hide caption
    Kelley and her brother, David, wait for their grandmother to catch her breath as she moves from the living room to the car. AnnaBelle's mobility is significantly hampered by rheumatoid arthritis.
    Previous Next
    Kainaz Amaria/NPR
  • "I just feel like a burden, but the girls don't even think that way of me," AnnaBelle says. Although her movement is hampered, AnnaBelle's sense of humor remains sharper than ever, and she often makes jokes or sings.
    Hide caption

    "I just feel like a burden, but the girls don't even think that way of me," AnnaBelle says. Although her movement is hampered, AnnaBelle's sense of humor remains sharper than ever, and she often makes jokes or sings.

    Previous Next
    Kainaz Amaria/NPR
  • Chloe, the Martins' Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, stands in the family's driveway. "Hopefully they will learn how to take care of someone else, like me ... when I'm old," says David of his children.
    Hide caption
    Chloe, the Martins' Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, stands in the family's driveway. "Hopefully they will learn how to take care of someone else, like me ... when I'm old," says David of his children.
    Previous Next
    Kainaz Amaria/NPR

1 of 7

View slideshow i

On a recent evening, the Martin family of Harrisburg, Pa., had too many places it needed to be.

AnnaBelle Bowers, the 87-year-old matriarch of the family who is also known as "Snootzie," was at home — watching television and getting ready for bed.

Someone needed to care for her. That fell to Chris Martin, her 14-year-old great-grandson.

His willingness to stay at home meant his sister, Lauren, could play in a softball game.

It also meant her parents, David and LaDonna Martin, could watch.

AnnaBelle Bowers, 87, talks to her granddaughter Carley, 17 (right), and her friends after they returned from lacrosse practice. "I'm not rich money-wise, but with my family I'm a millionaire," Bowers says.

Family Matters: The Money Squeeze

Family Matters: Meet The Families

The Martins are faced with decisions like this all the time — and they're one of the families profiled in NPR's Family Matters series. More and more, multigenerational families like the Martins are living under the same roof in order to care for a loved one — and also get by.

LaDonna says nights at the ballpark would be impossible if everybody didn't pitch in to care for Snootzie. That includes the kids.

"I think we expect a little bit more from them," says LaDonna. "They've got to grow up."

It's also forcing the family to think about the future in new ways.

"I hope they're fit when they're 60, 70s, 80s," Lauren says about her parents. "But I know it'll be time when they're in a walker and can't walk anymore and need help ... but I'll be ready when they're old."

Comments

 

Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and terms of use, and will be moderated prior to posting. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.

NPR logo NPR
Special Series

Family Matters: The Money Squeeze