A GOOD AGE: A TALE OF EXTRAORDINARY DEVOTION
By Sue Scheible

The Patriot Ledger, MA
July 17 2007

Elsa Hart was the full-time caregiver for for her husband, Vartan
"Varty" Hart, who died at home last week. (Patriot Ledger file photo)
The Patriot Ledger

Elsa Hart has spent nearly every minute of the day for the past five
years taking care of her disabled husband, Varty. A former jazz
musician, he had a massive stroke in 2002 that left him unable to
speak and paralyzed on his right side. She insisted on bringing him
home from a nursing home and setting up around-the-clock care in
their modest house, turning the former living room into their bedroom.

Last Tuesday, she woke up, looked over at the empty pillow on the
hospital bed next to her bed, and thought, "This is the first time
in 50 years that I have woken up and won’t see him."

Varty Hart died last week at age 85 at home. He and Elsa, 71, shared
a story of extraordinary devotion. As the full-time caregiver, she
endured hard physical work, emotional stress, and occasional sleepless
nights. It is a task she and many other spouses have performed quietly
across the South Shore.

Sometimes they recognize each other: Once when Elsa was buying a
special dietary product at a pharmacy, a woman came over, patted her
arm and said, "You’re a caregiver, aren’t you?" She knew the signs.

It was only with the help of their two sons, Christian and Eric,
and others that Elsa was able to keep her husband at home against
great odds.

Last December, she called The Patriot Ledger after reading an article
about a new state program that pays family caregivers for their work
but does not include spouses or parents.

"I love my husband and I don’t mind doing it, but I could use some
help here," she said.

She hoped her sharing her story might prompt legislators to change
state law to allow spouses to be paid as caregivers in some cases.

Since then, she had a small stroke herself that affected her vision.

The state policies have not be changed.

About two weeks ago, she called in hospice when it was clear her
husband was in pain and was failing. "We thought we might gain a
few pain-free months, but a week later, he was gone," she said the
day after he died. "Even though he had been ill for so long, I am in
shock. I am sick to my soul."

Varty (his birth name was Vartan Haroutunian) had a life of quiet
accomplishment. An Armenian from Everett, he received the Distinguished
Flying Cross when he flew 37 missions during World War II as a first
lieutenant in the Army Air Forces. He told his sons how he had used
the stars to navigate and lead his squadron to safety when the leader
had taken the wrong course. Then he attended Boston Conservatory of
Music, played tenor sax in several bands, including the Herb Pomeroy
Band, played at the Newport Jazz Festival, at the first jazz concert
at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the first jazz festival
on Boston Common. He was manager of the Jazz Workshop in Boston and
that’s where Elsa met him – she was 18, he older than 30.

She had studied classical violin, played in Boston Junior Symphony
and became interested in jazz. She traveled with Sam Snyder’s Water
Follies as a synchronized swimmer for three years before she and Varty
married in 1957. When they started a family, he left the music business
for more regular hours as the manager of two local Star Market stores.

After his stroke, Elsa, who had once worked as a nurse’s aide, took on
the around-the-clock care. The state Office of Elder Affairs provided
aides who helped several hours a week. "If they would pay me something
for my care, I could hire someone for a few more hours a week to get
out myself," she said.

If Elsa had not been willing to care for her husband at home, he
would have cost the state a lot more money in nursing home care.

Al Norman is executive director of Mass Home Care, an elder advocacy
group that represents 30 agencies in the state.

"There are three programs that help some family caregivers, but a lot
of elders don’t know these programs exist," Norman said. "There is no
real publicity about them – the state has no money for marketing. It
is all by word of mouth. There is no state strategy, no Web site
you can go to and see the info. We hope Gov. Deval Patrick will do
something about that."

The personal care attendant program, the largest of the three, is
for Medicaid (MassHealth) recipients only. It pays people, including
adult children but not spouses, to provide care for someone who is
disabled or ill at home.

"Someday we’ll overcome that prejudice against spouses," Norman vowed.

The adult family care program, also exclusively for MassHealth
recipients, has a level 2 payment for people 16 and older who
need extensive help to stay at home. Family members may be paid as
caregivers but spouses are not included.

The third program, Caring Homes, pays caregivers of people 60 and
older who are not eligible for MassHealth but the budget and the
numbers are very small.

"This is an issue that needs a lot more attention," Norman said.

DRUG COST HELP: The state’s Prescription Advantage program, which helps
many seniors pay for prescription drug costs under Medicare Part D,
is now open for enrollment year round, instead of for just two months.

The change took effect this week after Gov. Patrick signed the
state’s 2008 budget. The legislature had proposed that people 65
and older be able to enroll anytime during the year if they met the
eligibility criteria.

Advocates said the change makes enrollment easier by eliminating any
waiting period. To enroll, call 1-800-AGE INFO (800-243-4636) and
press "1" for application and enrollment information. You can also
call South Shore Elder Services at 781-848-3910, Old Colony Elderly
Services at 508-584-1561 or Hessco Elder Services at 781-784-4944.

SCHOLARSHIPS – Nine area residents won scholarships from the
Massachusetts Long Term Care Foundation to further their education in
the long-term care field. The foundation selected 62 recipients from
its member facilities in the state. Local winners include Larissa
Alves of Brockton, Cynthia Chetwynd of Weymouth, Philip Doherty of
Marshfield, Donna Flaherty of Milton, Dale Gordon of Kingston, Barbara
Koufos of Plymouth, Suzanne Lydon of Hanover, Deirdre Marchetti of
Marshfield and Maureen O’Connor of Quincy.