Wisdom Wednesday: Aging Wisdom's Podcast
Welcome to Wisdom Wednesday, a short, bite-size podcast offering weekly wisdom and insights for aging well, caring well, and living well.
Assisted Living is housing designed for individuals who need support with various levels of personal and medical care. Assisted living can benefit those needing assistance with transferring or functional mobility (transferring from bed to wheelchair, for example), showering or bathing, toileting, dressing, personal hygiene, and meal preparation, as well as medication management, housekeeping, laundry, transportation, and socialization.
Today Nicole looks at Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs), also known as Life Plan Communities. “This is really an option for people who are at a stage in their life where they’re proactively planning ahead. Maybe they’re ready to downsize. They’re attracted to that retirement lifestyle, relatively healthy and independent.”
How do you pick the right long-term care housing option? Focus on the true care needs of your parent, or your spouse or partner, or yourself. Look at what is needed in the short term, and also consider how the situation may look and change over time. You need to factor in the finances too.
When we meet with families and start to talk about care and housing options, it’s not unusual for them to ask if Medicare covers what we are recommending. Typically, the answer is no.
Do you have a plan for the time when home is no longer safe and supportive for your parent/s, your spouse, your partner, or you? Families are usually pragmatic and understand that an older adult who is living with a dementia or Parkinson’s diagnosis, for example, will eventually need to move to a safer, more supportive environment in the future.
Don’t we all need a ray of sunshine or a beacon of hope when life gets challenging?
An Aging Life Care Professional (aka geriatric Care Manager) is a health and human services specialist who acts as a guide and advocate for families who are caring for older relatives or disabled adults.
Families often seek our care management services when they know a parent needs help. And it’s not uncommon for the parent to resist assistance or support.
Worried about your parents and fighting with your siblings over their care? When it comes to mom and dad, even families who get along well will experience disagreements from time to time.
The systems that families encounter as they help a loved one navigate health and memory changes are dysfunctional.