Do you have a plan for the time when living at home is no longer safe or supportive for your parents, your spouse, your partner, or yourself?
Every situation is different, but there are common signs that it may be time to move. Understanding the landscape and planning for what’s to come can save a lot of stress and heartache in the long run.
What are some common signs that it’s time for a move?
Falls. Repeated falling, especially when it results in injury, is often a red flag that things aren’t going well. It’s important not to minimize or dismiss falls. One major fall is all it takes to dramatically shift the future. A broken hip is a common path to hospitalization, weeks in rehab, and discharge to higher level of care, or significant help at home.
Caregiver burnout. A family member or friend has been the primary caregiving support at home, and they feel their caregiving responsibilities are no longer sustainable. Caregiving is taking a toll on their health and well-being. Take our Care Burnout Quiz to see if your flame is about to fizzle.
Health and medical related changes. Oftentimes memory, cognitive, and mobility changes can contribute to challenges in maintaining well-being, safety, and quality of life in the home environment. Weight loss and personality changes can also be signs for concern. Some health changes also contribute to the risk of falls.
Supports and services such as a professional caregiver, companion, or household help, have been brought into the home, but the efforts have failed. Or the supports that have been brought into the home are no longer enough.
Isolation. It can cause or contribute to anxiety, depression, and has been found to quicken the pace of cognitive decline. Connection with others is vital to our physical, mental, and emotional health. Although the “ideal” is often to remain at home, is it best? Is the person at home thriving or failing to thrive? Aging in place can become isolating and the world just a little too small.
Cost of care is no longer financially sustainable. When you start to need more care at home, things can get expensive fast, and costs can become prohibitive, especially when you’re thinking about longer range planning and how resources will support someone over their lifetime. That’s an important consideration.
Home maintenance. Staying at home often involves a lot of maintenance, upkeep, and problem-solving. Who fixes broken appliances? Who is going to mow the lawn? Who is going to take out the garbage? Who can fix the deck? Who can help when the TV remote isn’t working? Or the toilet is overflowing?
Daily tasks and functioning. Doing the laundry, managing finances, grocery shopping, meal planning and preparation, general housekeeping, medication management, hydration, personal hygiene, caring for a pet — these routine though important tasks may become problematic at some point. If you or someone you care about is struggling in any of these areas, and outside supports aren’t helping as optimally as you’d hoped, it may be time to consider moving.
Transportation. With memory or cognitive changes, it is best to start thinking about options to driving. When driving put others at risk, it’s a problem. Once you face driving head on, finding alternate transportation is a top priority. Getting to the grocery store, doctor’s appointments, running errands, hair appointments, seeing friends and family, all become a challenge. What is the Plan B for getting around?
How do you choose the right senior housing option?
There is a wide variety of senior housing options including independent retirement communities, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, adult family homes and continuing care retirement communities.
For a successful move, it is essential to understand:
- the level of care required (and any limitations)
- associated costs
- how costs will accelerate over time
- how that community will align with the person’s social needs and preferences.
Our expertise in this area provides you with in-depth knowledge to avoid pitfalls when choosing a senior housing community. And as Aging Life Care Managers, we follow a code of ethics that ensures we are recommending housing options that are most suited for you, and without accepting commission or referral fees.
How can we assist in coordinating the actual move?
In addition to helping you identify the right retirement community, we can help you with all the other details that come along with a move:
- facilitating communication amongst all involved in the plan
- identifying a move manager if you need help packing and moving
- finding a real estate agent if you need to sell a home
- referral to an insurance specialist if a parent is moving from another state
- identifying medical providers
- helping you create a plan for the actual move date
- being available to ensure a smooth transition
Our Aging Life Care Professionals (aka geriatric Care Managers) have the experience and knowledge to guide you on planning for today as well as the future.
Not quite sure what steps to take next? You can schedule a get-acquainted call with us to determine together whether our services are a good fit for your needs.
Additional Reading & Listening:
- Why is Change So Hard? (an Aging Wisdom blog article)
- Seven Signs an Older Loved One May Need Help (an Aging Wisdom blog article)
- What is Aging Life Care? (an Aging Wisdom fact sheet)
- How Do You Pick the Right Long-Term Care Housing Option? (an Aging Wisdom podcast)
- Navigating Long-Term Care Options (an Aging Wisdom blog article)
