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Stevan Shipp, CSA 866-860-5971
A Place for Mom, Eldercare Advisor
Housing Choices By State
How to find the right community:
With so much information and
so many housing
choices it is difficult to really
know what
is best for an aging person that
is being
moved from their home. This is
a stressful
time for the senior as well as
for the family
members. Using a service such
as Senior Housing
Selector is no doubt the best
help a person
can get during this time of change
and uncertainty.
If you take into consideration
each of these
important factors you will have
covered the
FACTS of the move. The emotional
part is
the hardest of all.
FINANCES- how much can they afford a month? This will
be determined by the level of care they need
to some degree, also by the lifestyle in
which they will be most happy in. Please
remember that in the senior communities PRICE
does not dictate HAPPINESS. Naturally the
more you spend the more you get. But with
seniors they may not want all that ‘hoopla”
as I call it. If they are use to a hoopla
life style maybe they will want that but
I have found that most seniors want three
things: Some privacy, someone to talk to
and really good food! Also remember to check
to see if your loved one is eligible for
VA benefits. Many of today’s seniors are
missing out on this great benefit. Either
call your local VA office or check with the
community that you choose to visit.
LOCATION- It’s probably best to have your loved one
within 30 minutes of another family member.
But that is not always the case. It is probably
not advisable to give up another much needed
service in order to be close by. Suppose
a community is an hour away but the price
is perfect, the services are great and you
know that your loved one will be happy in
the environment. Maybe you could pay a care
giver to check in on them once a week and
you could visit once a week. Don’t rule it
out just because of location. Try to get
doctors that are close to the community that
is very important. Sometimes your loved one
my need to go to the Dr. but you cannot go.
The community will offer their services but
it will be at a fee. So the closer by, the
cheaper the fee!
ENVIROMENT- This is very important because this is
where the happiness factor comes in! Look
around and see what age group and physical
condition your loved one will be associated
with all day. Is it a comfortable match?
If you’re loved one is active and chatty
they need an environment that will support
thouse needs. Is there an area to sit with
others and talk, play games or watch a movie?
Check for an outside area. Is there plenty
of room to get outside and enjoy the sunshine
or listen to the rain fall, what about rocking
chairs, flowers and bird feeders? These are
things that make a yard entertaining and
full of life. Next ask about the staff. What
is the turn over rate of the employees? Is
there an activity director? What are the
activities? How often? Do they insist that
everyone participate? Also take note of the
lay out of the building, is there plenty
of room to walk about, interesting things
on the walls, does it feel like home? Is
there a place where families can come and
visit and sit and enjoy the home?
Find out what is the ratio of
staff to resident
at any given time of the day.
Is ther always
someone around to talk to, to
visit with
and to help with redirecting
or providing
a service. |
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Disclaimers-Legal-Fair Housing-Other