I have lived with Schizophrenia for over 40 years. At 68 I walked out of my job. Then, I was old enough to receive my Social Security Retirement. But it’s not enough. I want to work in medical billing and coding. I would have to train a minimum of 4 months.
I live with my sister who works full time at age 73. She is my primary caregiver. She doesn’t think I can do it. I see her struggling and I can’t stand it.
Does anyone have any advice?
Fran
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i would say to follow your heart, but dont do it out of sympathy, if you are able to do it and want to do it then i see no objections
Keep on keepin’ on!
Work if you’re able to. I spend my days on this forum or watching tv unless I’m helping my dad on the farm. I can’t tell you how much I miss working a job. I helped a lot of people and I had coworkers to talk to
Thank you. I have lived by that all my life.
Thank you. I’ve always looked for challenges. Maybe I have failed at them, but I gave it a try.
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What’s the point of work? Don’t do it, there is no reason to do anything anyways, enjoy your retirement
Thank you I miss the contact also, but I have social anxiety, which was one of the reasons I left my job.
I can’t enjoy it, because I’m stressed out about money problems. I wish I had enough money to follow my real dream, which was to write.
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Hey man, it’s great to hear success stories from people working and such. I’m going to be 29 and I really never worked. I don’t qualify for SSDI or retirement. I think it depends on your cognition; you sound intelligent, so do it! I know the fear that people have is ageism or discrimination from one’s age. With all those young people doing medical billing, I fear that you may have some competition and might face ageism. I think there are definitely jobs you can do. Can you contact your local department of rehabilitation office? Maybe your county works with them? Mine does. If you are really motivated and interested in this field, please ignore me and just do it. Personally, I find the field boring, but I heard there’s a lot of opportunities available and the field is growing fast. Maybe your local community college can help you. Good luck!
You could write, even if it’s not professional… then you’ll have something that’s truly yours and you’ll do something you enjoy.
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I heard some people do medical billing from home on their computer 
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Wow good to hear stories like yours. I think you should totally follow your dreams and do the medical coding. Were you on medication for the 40 years you were schizoprenic? If so which ones . Which one are you on now? And what job did you have that you walked out on at 68. How old are you now? Sorry for all the questions. I just feel like I’m going to die soon because of my meds and it’s good to hear from someone who has been alive for a long time and motivated to want to work.
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Go for it if you think you can do it. What do you got to lose by trying.
Can you work just part-time? Did you consider trying a different occupation?
Thank you. Yes, there’s a lot of competition between young people and some of us old folks.
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Yes, November. I have been on different medications for all the time. In 1998 I got switched from Prolixin to Zyprexa. That’s the one I’m on now. But I do have multiple disorders which are also under treatment. Depression and social anxiety. I love to work, and I’m 70 years old. I walked out because I was told I was too old to work anymore. I chose not to go the long route of sueing them. I just turned the other cheek.
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Yes, Loke. I want to work at home.
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Hi, 77nick77:
I do want to work only part-time. Thank you for suggesting it. And I will continue to write, which is my passion.
Thanks for the encouragement mike23. I feel like I’m at the last stages of my life, and I’ve struggled with schizophrenia for such a long time. All I would lose is another job.