Recently widowed, “Maxine”, an elderly woman from Waukesha, was hesitant to seek the help she needed.  Maxine lives on a very limited fixed income and has serious heart problems requiring hospitalization, creating significant unpaid medical bills. Her husband had passed away during her recent illness, so in addition to the emotional stress Maxine also faced the uncertainty of a substantial and potentially devastating change in income. 

Maxine’s heating source is fuel oil and with the skyrocketing costs of heating her home she was cutting back to keeping her heat at 58 to 60 degrees, an extreme level for an elderly person with serious, life-threatening health issues. Maxine was able to receive Energy Assistance and additional funding for a fuel delivery and additional help with her electricity costs. She has now been able to turn her heat above 65 degrees. With this assistance from Energy Services, Maxine was also able to get through the impact of her hospitalization and her husband’s death without the financial worries of a crisis situation with respect to her heating and electricity.  Recognizing her other unmet basic needs, Energy Services successfully assisted Maxine with referrals to the Low-Income Weatherization Program to make her home more energy efficient and to the local food pantries during a time when her circumstances made her economic survival uncertain.