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Recently
we see more active senior communities, apartments and complexes for the
elderly, offering medical care components, "infilling" in older neighborhoods.
Opportunities to move to nearby metro or suburban located senior communities
offers the chance to right-size lifestyle without giving up proximity
to friends and the familiar.
As seniors
remain in their homes until they are in their late 70's or 80's, when
they do relocate, they want to stay close totheir home of many years.
Long distance moves occur when seniorswant to be closer to adult children,
siblings, or other close relatives, or go back to where they grew up or
once lived.
Relocating
seniors find satisfaction in their new location if they have common interests
with other residents or neighbors and can have friendly, helpful people
around them.
Helping Your Elderly Parents
Transition to In-Home Care
By Dana Carr
When parents are elderly and begin
to have difficulty caring for themselves, one of the best gifts a concerned
child can give them is the gift of a paid, in-home caregiver. The elderly
may already have a lifetime of possessions and they may not want another
new memento, technological gadget, or specialty food gift. Instead, what
they really may need is assistance coping with health, housekeeping, or
mobility issues.
How do you know when it's time to consider in-home assistance for your
elderly parents? Try watching for these possible warning signs:
- Personal Hygiene Changes such as a failure to bathe on a daily
basis, wearing the same clothes all the time, or sleeping in their clothes.
- Passive Responses such as, "Why should I bathe/change my clothes?
I don't go anywhere!"
- A Dusty Home that was formerly very neat or the house not being
cleaned on a regular basis.
- A Lack of Food in the refrigerator or placing to-go orders
on a regular basis may signal difficulty driving, a fear of driving,
or a physical inability to lift the groceries out of the car.
- Tiredness and constant complaints could be a possible sign
of depression or loneliness.
- Forgetfulnesssuch as leaving food cooking on the stove, leaving
the faucet on, not taking mediations as prescribed, the phone left off
the hook or bills left unpaid.
Once you decide to seek a caregiver, take these steps to ensure you hire
the right person and manage the working relationship effectively.
Discuss Before Hiring
Your elderly parents should be part of the discussion regarding in-home
care. A tremendous amount of fear may exist once they realize they are
not functioning well on their own. Your parents may fear losing their
freedom or their home. Always approach this topic with compassion.
Most often the elderly can't imagine how an in-home caregiver can possibly
help them. To ease the transition, suggest they "try out" the caregiver
by having them assign basic housekeeping chores, such as laundry, changing
bed linens, and general cleaning duties. The caregiver can also run errands
such as grocery shopping or accompanying your parents to doctor appointments.
In some instances, the caregiver can simply be a companion to drive the
elderly to the movies or church. Often, the caregiver is a senior as well,
so your parents may find much in common with their caregiver.
Manage the Caregiver Relationship
List the duties you and your elderly parent expect the caregiver to
perform and clearly communicate the duties and the timing with the caregiver.
Clearly explain your expectations and set boundaries for the caregiver’s
personal phone calls, breaks, etc.
However personal the caregiver relationship becomes, make sure all family
members and the caregiver understand that the paid worker is not a family
member. The caregiver should NOT have access to credit or ATM cards. Nor
should the worker be paid in cash.
Pay close attention to your parents’ feelings. If your or your
parents feel uncomfortable or incompatible with the caregiver, take action
immediately. Either do not hire the person or discontinue his/her use
if you’ve already hired the person.
Finally, remember in-home assistance is not the beginning of the end.
Rather it’s an active step to prolong your elder parents’
ability to live in their lifelong home for as long as possible. Hiring
an in-home caregiver is a proactive step that can help the elderly continue
to lead healthy, active and happy lives.
Dana Carr is the owner of California-based Carr & Associates,
a carebroker who helps families find the right caregiver. She's also the
founder of MyCareGiverCoach.com , a
resource for families that want to recruit and hire a caregiver themselves.
Relocating Options
- Age Restricted "Retirement Communities"
A senior community can be like any other neighborhood or community except
restricted to people usually 55 or over, or 62 and over. Differences in minimum
age is usually established when the original community entitlement and funding
is obtained. Those with a 55+ restriction require one resident to be 55+.
Other residents must be over 18, but are permitted to be younger than 55. In a
62+ community all residents must meet the age requirement. HUD regulations
used to require amenities, activities and services that cater to seniors to be
provided or available. Although no longer required by law, to be competitive and
attractive to a retirement lifestyle, age restricted communities are continuing
to offer amenities, activities and services that cater to residents. Retirement
Communities are oriented toward an active lifestyle, or "younger thinking" seniors.
They might offer golf, tennis, swimming pool and spa, exercise rooms and a variety
of clubs and interest groups. - "Seniors
Only" Apartments
Some older seniors sell their homes of many years
and move to an apartment. This frees up equity that can then supplement income
through interest or dividends earned through investment of the capital. The move
also frees seniors from home maintenance and grounds-keeper chores. For others
living in a large complex of all seniors also affords a greater sense of security
than living in a private home. - Modular
Home Communities
Modular Home Communities have full time residents
or ones who reside only part of the year with them. Part time residents may be
"snowbirds" coming for three months or a bit longer. The lots and the
mobile units (which are not really very mobile) may be leased to, or owned
by, the residents. - ECHO Housing
(Elder Cottage Housing Opportunity)
Elder Cottage Housing
Opportunity, Accessory Units, Granny Flats refer to a housing opportunity where
seniors occupy a second family living unit or apartment with a separate entrance,
on a single family lot, with another family. Generally they are permitted by the
jurisdiction to foster affordable housing, or aid families with elderly parents
unable to live completely alone. The owner of the home and lot may be a senior,
or the "renting" party may be seniors. - Shared
Housing
Seniors can share their home, or share the home of another.
The roommate need not also be a senior. Professional organizations which specialize
in these arrrangements match the two parties based on needs on one side with abilities
to provide on the other side. They screen before matching and follow up afterwards
to help the match work out. Most organizations who do this are non-profit
and supported from sources other than those seeking their help. Seniors
who share their home, are Aging In Place, and should
understand the planning that will help to do it successfully.
- Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs)
Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) or communities offering
Life Care are designed to offer active seniors an independent lifestyle and a
private home from which to enjoy it, regardless of future medical needs. They
may require buy-in, or an up-front annuity purchase followed by monthly
payments covering services, amenities and needed medical. The buy-in may be
refundable in part, or not at all. They provide the availability of multiple
levels of care, without the uncertainty of wondering where you will live.
- Congregate Housing
Congregate communities
offer independent living in private separate apartments, and the opportunity to
share activities of daily living with other residents as one chooses. They may
offer rental or ownership units. - Assisted
Living
Assisted Living (or Residential Care For the Elderly/RCFE)
offers help with non-medical aspects of daily activities in an atmosphere of separate,
private living units. It can be likened to Congregate living for residents less
able to function independently in all aspects of their daily lives. In some states
licensing is required. - Board
and Care, Residential Care or Foster Care
Board and Care is usually
offered in what may appear as a converted home. It provides a homelike setting
with supervision and care for 4-10 residents (Foster care, available in
some states is limited to 2 residents). - Skilled
Nursing Facilities
Skilled Nursing Facilities may be freestanding,
or part of a seniors community offering any or all of the following:
Congregate
Assisted Living
Continuum of Care
It may
specialize in Short Term or acute nursing care, intermediate or long term skilled
nursing care. - Alzheimer's Facilities
Early stage Alzheimer's patients may be accommodated in a Congregate or
Independent wing of a multi-level campus. Many Assisted Living Communities
will accept and successfully house early stage residents. As the disease progresses
patients develop argumentative behavior, "sundowning" and wandering habits.
Generally the communities best equipped to deal effectively with this middle stage
patient are Alzheimer' Communities. - Senior
Day Care
Senior Day care varies from "custodial care" with programs
for stimulation and rehabilitation to day care providing medical care and procedures.
- Senior Short Term Housing (Vacations and Snowbirding)
Senior Short Term Vacation Housing offers the chance to try before you buy.
It allows one to take advantage of a senior community in a distant location. People
too frail for the rigors of hotels and restaurants for multiple days, can vacation
at a slower pace with needed care available to them.
800.869.9549
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Back to top Cost
Comparisons Between Alternative Options
and Aging In Your Home
Compare your home's costs against what a Senior
Congregate, Assisted Living or Continuing Care Retirement Community offers in
convenience and services by putting the cost of each of the following items in
the column for "Aging in Your Home" or the column for the alternative living choice
- i.e. "Assisted Living". Then total each column and compare costs. Assisted or
group retirement living may not be much more expensive than staying where you
are. Or, perhaps you will find it's more expensive.
After you have a handle on cost differences, look at social, stress and medical
advantages or disadvantages. Only then are you ready to visit places that are
alternative possibilities. - Mortgage
and Association Fees
- Taxes
- Maintenance
of outside, gardening
- Repairs
- Fire,
theft and liability Insurance
- Electricity
and gas
- Water, sewer and trash pickup
- Telephone
and cable
- Meals
- Transportation
- Car ownership (ownership, maintenance, repairs,
insurance)
- Insurance
-
Housekeeping
-
Laundry
- Linen service
-
Cleaning
- Comraderie with
privacy
- Supplemental Medicare Insurance
- Long
Term Care Insurance
Eldercare
Locator 1.800.677.1116 Offers local eldercare office numbers throughout
the United States to help with location of facilities and services for seniors.
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