What happens when you are elderly and you have birds and no plan....

[Talon]

Tonight when I got home from work, there was a message waiting for me on my answering machine from a woman I didn't know. she wanted to know if I did foster care for African greys. She got my name from a Bird lady I know who fosters birds, and sells bird toys near my home. She is a wonderful person.

 

This woman who called me is a caregiver that has been taking care of a woman for the past 3 years. This woman is 88 years old and has a house full of animals, cats, dogs, and birds. She now has dementia, has 24 hour care and will soon need to go into a long term care facility. So before I called her back, I thought it over (took about 2 minutes) and decided if a bird needed a foster home, I will take it and foster it.

 

Well it turns out, she really is looking for homes for a 13 year old AG, and a 23 year old Amazon. she didn't even know if it was a cag or tag, but she now knows from me, it is a cag. She said the cag is very smart and talks up a storm, and the amazon talks only a little. This caregiver has bought toys for them as needed, and brings them fruits and veggies from her home. Up until she cared for them , they were only fed seeds. The saddest part is the birds haven't been out of their cages ever as far as this caregiver knows. She puts her hand in there cages, and they will step up easily onto her hand and step down, but she as never taken them to out as she is only there to care for the animals for a few hours. She tries to sit and talk to them, but her time is limited. She has never had birds before. She said it is a very sad situation for them.

They are in very large cages she says. When I heard of the situation, I knew they were plucked, and they are, especially the cag....

 

So she is looking for a good forever home, not a foster home. She doent want to see them go into a rescue facility. I told her if she ran into trouble, I would take them on a foster only until they found forever homes...we'll see... But my heart reads or these poor birds. Oh, and she has 6 parakeets and a larger parakeet type bird as well.

 

What a horrible situation.

[JeffNOK]

Talon, you have a tender heart. I have no idea what I would do if I got such a call. I will pray that you find the right match for these birds. I'm 46 now and Gracie is just 2. I am confident that I can care for her for the majority of her life, but if she lives to be 50---I would be 94 years old. It is something I don't have to think about now, but this is a serious issue all of us need to make plans for.

[Timbersmom]

What a sad situation! If the lady has dementia she may have had a plan, but is incapable of expressing it now. Makes it all the more important to write it down and always be prepared

[VStar Mama]

Makes me wish I wasn't in the armpit of New Mexico....

[Talon]

What a sad situation! If the lady has dementia she may have had a plan, but is incapable of expressing it now. Makes it all the more important to write it down and always be prepared

 

I am under the impression she is in the early stages of dementia and is still capable of making some decisions . She has given permission for the 2 larger parrots to be given to new homes, but not the others .

[BaileysPapa]

This is exactly what I have done most of my life. Taking in birds that generally have been cared for by someone who can not do it any longer, and their relatives, caregivers, etc. do not want them or can not care for them. That scenario accounts for probably 70% of the rescues I have taken in. The rest were behavioral problems, or confiscations with my SPCA work. This happens more than you might think with these long lived birds. That is why it really is so important that parrot guardians have plans in place for the continued care of their birds.

[Talon]

Bless you.....I really wish I could tKe these 2 birds in, but with my working full time now, I feel they need someone with more time to give them than I do. Also, when you have 3 free flying parrots lose, adding new birds i feel really can mess up the flow of things.

Edited November 23, 2013 by Talon

[Greywings]

Contact the local bird club and they often have people who are knowledgeable and willing to step up and help. There also may be accredited Sanctuary or Parrot Rescues in the state. Here is what I found to investigate.

Massachusetts Bird Rescue Groups

 

bird.rescueshelter.com/Massachusetts‎

"Click here now to view all Massachusetts Bird Rescue Groups and Bird Shelters." ― ♥ RESCUE SHELTER NETWORK ♥ ۬.

 

 

Bird and Parrot Rescues - ParrotClubs.com

 

http://www.parrotclubs.com/rescue.html‎

Bird Rescues that we feel ParrotClubs.com readers should consider donating to. ... displaced Animals locally ( Massachusetts) and Nationally by featuring pets ...

[Luvparrots]

I hope new forever homes can be found for these poor birds. I certainly would help if I were in the area.

[Talon]

Thank you for the rescue sites. The woman I spoke with was hoping not to put them in a rescue place, only as a last resort. She really wanted to try and find homes for them.

[Greywings]

Thank you for the rescue sites. The woman I spoke with was hoping not to put them in a rescue place, only as a last resort. She really wanted to try and find homes for them.

Many of these places do just that, help her research into which ones screen or make folks volunteer before adopting.