86-Year-Old Wyandotte Woman Works Cleaning Job to Survive After Family Losses

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Elaine Dorland, an 86-year-old woman from Wyandotte, Michigan, starts her day at 4:30 a.m. with a cup of coffee before heading to her cleaning job at a senior living facility. Dorland has worked various cleaning jobs since she was 12 years old, and the work has become especially necessary after the deaths of her husband and son. Despite her age and physical challenges, Dorland continues to work to make ends meet, but a community member has started a fundraising effort to help her retire.

Why it matters

Dorland's story highlights the challenges faced by many elderly individuals who are forced to continue working well into their retirement years due to financial constraints, even as they struggle with physical ailments. Her determination to keep working despite her losses and difficulties underscores the resilience of the human spirit, while also raising awareness about the need for better support systems for the elderly.

The details

Dorland has been cleaning since she was 12 years old, working various jobs that "never paid nothing," she said. For the past nine years, she has worked as a cleaner at a senior living facility in Wyandotte, where she has lived for two decades. The work became especially necessary after the death of her husband, Rodger, a Marine and plumber, two years ago, and the death of her son nine months later. With rods in her back, a torn rotator cuff, and progressing arthritis, the cleaning work is physically demanding for someone her age, but Dorland says, "I'm not a quitter."

• Dorland's husband, Rodger, passed away two years ago.
• Dorland's son passed away nine months after Rodger's death.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The community fundraising effort started by Sue Wery aims to help Elaine Dorland retire and no longer have to work at the age of 86.