Monthly Archives: July 2016

I Just Moved my Parent to Assisted Living, Now I am All Set … Maybe

Moving a Parent to Assisted Living

After making tough decisions and weeks of planning, your father is now living in a fantastic assisted living facility.  You finally have a chance to catch your breath and focus on work. But don’t get too comfortable…

I Just Moved my Parent to Assisted Living, Now I am All Set … Maybe

by Suzanne Modigliani, LICSW, CMC — Aging Life Care Association™ Member and Fellow of the Leadership Academy

 

You may have been lucky enough to have worked with an Aging Life Care Manager™ in helping choose an assisted living facility for your parent. She or he helped your family decide that the support of assisted living made more sense now than staying home. Your parent will have some help when needed with personal care, meals, housekeeping, and companionship. The Aging Life Care Manager helped your family sort through the pros and cons of various options based on professional experiences – that is, life beyond the website and brochures. Different pricing options were analyzed and financial resources considered. The Care Manager may have helped you locate a move manager.

You probably are breathing a sigh of relief and giving yourself a much-deserved pat on the back. The hard work is over, right? Not so fast. There is much to be happy about, as a big safety net has been created. However, you may still need to supervise more than you think. A care plan should be formulated early on. Some questions/issues to monitor:

  • Is your parent getting prompting with medication?
  • Do they need help with a shower or dressing?
  • Can they find their way around? Do they need an escort to meals?
  • Are they going to any of those activities that sounded so good to you?
  • Does anyone notice if your parent is not feeling well?

But who will know whether these things are really happening? If you are out of town, you probably already realize that having local eyes and ears are important to see how things are going. Even if you are in town and busy with work and family, it may be beneficial to have the Aging Life Care Manager™ visit your parent. They know the staff and can get an inside scoop on how your parent is adjusting. They can advocate and intervene when needed. Your parent may still need someone to interface with the medical system or perhaps take your parent to medical appointments. You are still responsible for the medical care of your parent. Most times that means continuing with doctors in the community. So, an Aging Life Care Manager may be able to coordinate medical care and provide relevant information to the assisted living staff.

Like any move, the one to assisted living is a big transition. Your parent may benefit from talking to someone outside the family about the big changes in their life. They will want to get the lay of the land. It is a long time since high school, but where you sit in the cafeteria, aka a dining room, still has social import. This may be the most frequent socialization your parent has, so finding companionable seat mates is a help.

Everyone hopes your loved one can stay in assisted living as long as possible and make it their home. The average length of stay in assisted living is 2.5 to 3 years, so it is not always the rest of a person’s life. Care needs may become more intense and nursing home care may be needed. Sometimes families can afford to supplement the care at the facility with additional private care.

Licensing of assisted living facilities varies by state and makes for differences in services. Your local Aging Life Care Professional can help you find the facility that is right for you.

About the author: Suzanne Modigliani, LICSW, CMC is an Aging Life Care Specialist™ in Brookline, MA who works with families to find solutions to complicated elder care problems. She has been a leader in the Aging Life Care Association and quoted extensively in the media as seen on her website modiglianigeriatrics.com.


This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute, nor is it intended to be a substitute for, professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Information on this blog does not necessarily reflect official positions of the Aging Life Care Association™ and is provided “as is” without warranty. Always consult with a qualified professional with any particular questions you may have regarding your or a family member’s needs.

downsizing and selling personal property

Downsizing? Options for Selling Personal Property

Life transitions often mean that we need to make decisions about what to do with years of accumulated personal property that no longer physically fits our new space, does not fit with our new lifestyle, or that needs to be liquidated to meet financial obligations. It is comforting to know there are professionals who can assist in providing effective advice and services during what is often a stressful time.  There are several options to consider:

I Have Too Much Stuff!  Options for Liquidation and What They Each Mean

by Marie LeBlanc, BS, MBA, – Aging Life Care Association™ Corporate Partner

 

Whether you are downsizing yourself or managing the estate of a loved one, there are several options for selling or liquidating personal property:

Fixed, Single Price Sale

In this option, a dealer will usually come to the home, look over the contents and offer a complete price for the entire lot. While this is the most painless and efficient method of clearing everything out, there is no way for the sellers to know if there were, in fact, items of significant value in the home nor to feel truly comfortable that they have received the “best price” for their personal property.

Auction House Placement

Placing pieces with auction houses and consignment shops allows the auction house or shop owner to likely achieve a very viable high market price for the items. However, this process takes a fair amount of time to complete the turnover of items to cash and large commissions are the norm, resulting in less cash to the client. Also, this process would only apply to a limited number of items within most households. This leaves the seller in the position of needing to find other avenues of liquidating or disposing of the remaining household items.

On-site or Estate Sales

Sales of this nature can be completed by the family or by professionals focused on that business. Items are left in the home and tagged with sale prices. The home is normally opened to the public for set hours over a two-day period while the sale is running. This option for liquidation can be emotionally and physically draining on family members and friends. In addition, most individuals are not in a position to make an educated determination on the appropriate price for pieces. Again, the seller is left in the position of needing to find other avenues of liquidating or disposing of the remaining household items.

Property Inventory

In some cases, the family, executor, or individual may simply need a comprehensive inventory of the items contained in the home along with basements, attics, garages, and other attached or detached storage areas.

High-Value Items/Collections

If there are specific items or collections that you feel are of significant value, arrange for an appraisal by a professional. If these items are determined to be of a value more in line with an auction sale, items can be sold through auction, netting the best market price. Auctions may be held through an auction house or on eBay, which is a web-based on-line auction center, as appropriate.

Full Liquidation

If full liquidation is needed, consider the benefits of working with a professional move manager. These professionals have the resources to completely arrange an on-site sale, including the arrangement and placing of items in an appropriate display, pricing and tagging all items, staffing the sale during all hours of operation, and collecting and tracking all monies. Once a sale is completed, you have various options for disposal of any remaining items, including donations to charity (with possible tax deductions), trash disposal, and sales to secondary market dealers which would yield further cash.

Just remember, you do not have to tackle “the stuff” alone. Contact an Aging Life Care Professional to find the right professional move manager and resources to make a smooth and stress-free transition.

About the author: Marie LeBlanc, BS, MBA, is the president and owner of Transitions Liquidation Services in Hyannis, MA, a move management and rightsizing company founded in 2002.  Transitions Liquidation Services has completed over 700 transitions and Marie is an active speaker on the topics of moving, rightsizing and hoarding.  Follow Marie on Facebook and LinkedIn.


This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute, nor is it intended to be a substitute for, professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Information on this blog does not necessarily reflect official positions of the Aging Life Care Association™ and is provided “as is” without warranty. Always consult with a qualified professional with any particular questions you may have regarding your or a family member’s needs.

image: shutterstock_238394770

long-distance caregivers

Need Help Caring for Aging Parents?

Hiring an Aging Life Care Professional™  when you need help caring for aging parents is really no different from hiring an attorney for legal needs or a CPA for preparing taxes.  Aging Life Care Professionals guide you through the often complicated maze of long-term care. From determining optimal housing to managing chronic health care issues, the expertise of an Aging Life Care Professional  ensures quality care and an optimal life for clients, thus reducing worry, stress and time off of work for family caregivers.

 

Aging Life Care™… There’s a Professional for That

Aging Life Care Professionals can provide caregiver support, alleviate stress through meeting individualized needs, and offer information about local services. They can recommend the most appropriate, available, and cost-effective services that will support the older adult and the family.

Aging Life Care Professionals monitor and evaluate services and make adjustments as needs change. They can perform important services to physicians by monitoring medical treatment compliance issues, help with medications, and assuring that scheduled appointments are kept.

For long-distance caregivers, Aging Life Care Professionals can provide the ongoing supervision and communication link so often needed to avoid frequent and costly trips.

You may need an Aging Life Care Professional if the person you are caring for:

  • has multiple medical or psychological issues
  • is unable to live safely in their current environment
  • is not pleased with current care providers and requires advocacy
  • is confused about their own financial and/or legal situation
  • has limited or no family support

Or if your family:

  • has just become involved with helping the individual and needs direction about available services
  • is either “burned out” or confused about care solutions
  •  has limited time and/or expertise in dealing with the individual’s chronic care needs and does not live close by
  • is at odds regarding care decisions
  • needs education and/or direction in dealing with behaviors associated with dementia

Below are two real-life situations that are examples of how Aging Life Care Professionals can help:

Long-Distance Caregiving

Mr. Smith lived in Los Angeles while his parents resided in Philadelphia. Every third week, he traveled home to care for his aging parents. He would catch the “Red Eye” on Thursday night and handle doctor’s visits, cleaning, laundry, medication management, and all his parents’ needs. After two years, he was exhausted. Hiring an Aging Life Care Professional transformed his parents’ quality of care and his own life. His own physical problems dissipated, and he felt a reduction of stress which was life saving. His parents reported a better quality of life and became less stressed themselves knowing they had a local person to help with the small issues of aging as well as the major problems of an illness.

Resistant to Help

Robert and Ann lived in a once-beautiful condo in an affluent neighborhood. Ann’s increasing memory loss and paranoia made her loudly object to any kind of help at home, even a cleaning service. For over a year, Ann had refused to bathe, wash or cut her hair, or take much-needed medications. Her husband Robert, a retired scientist, was physically frail but mentally alert. He rarely interfered with Ann’s decisions or activities because he could not tolerate her angry tirades. He also refused his adult children’s attempts to place Ann in an assisted living facility.  The family watched hopelessly as their parents continued to live in squalor and self-neglect.

The Aging Life Care Professional was introduced to the parents in the son’s home.  Her assessment was that Ann urgently needed placement in an assisted care for memory-impaired individuals.  After gradually gaining Robert’s trust, she was able to persuade him to agree to the move.  The Aging Life Care Professional guided the family in selecting a high-quality community and successfully coordinated the move for Ann.

Finding an Aging Life Care Professional

The Aging Life Care Association’s website, aginglifecare.org offers a user-friendly search engine, allowing you to locate an Aging Life Care Professional in your area. The listing is updated on a daily basis.


This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute, nor is it intended to be a substitute for, professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Information on this blog does not necessarily reflect official positions of the Aging Life Care Association™ and is provided “as is” without warranty. Always consult with a qualified professional with any particular questions you may have regarding your or a family member’s needs.

caregivers in need of a vacation

Take a Vacation From Being a Caregiver

When you are responsible for the care of an aging loved one, a summer vacation or weekend getaway may seem impossible or out-of-reach. Questions race through your mind: What happens if mom falls? Who will remind Dad to take his medications? What if there is a storm? You feel overwhelmed and cancel your plans.

 

With a Plan in Place, You Can Take a Vacation from Caregiving Duties

Not taking time away from caregiving responsibilities can lead to bigger problems – caregiver burnout, stress, or poor health. With some extra planning and help, you can take a break from your caregiver role. Aging Life Care™ experts offer these tips to help make sure your loved one is safe and comfortable while you are away:

1. In-Home Caregivers: If there is not another family member or trusted friend or neighbor to fill in for you, connect with an Aging Life Care Professional™ who can help arrange for in-home care, monitoring, or transportation needs. Many Aging Life Care Professionals offer 24/7 service and can serve as an emergency contact while you are away. Depending on the individual’s needs, paid caregivers can assist with activities of daily living – bathing, dressing, mobility, meal preparations, house cleaning, or transportation. If you plan on using a paid caregiver, spend time getting the caregiver and your loved one familiar and comfortable with each other and to be sure it is a good match.

2. Organize Important Documents: Prepare a folder or binder of information for the person/agency who will provide care and oversight while you are away. Include information on emergency contacts, physicians, preferred hospital, pharmacy, and other service providers, such as therapy services, Meals on Wheels, home care agency, etc. Also include your loved one’s medication list and other important documents such as Power of Attorney, Living Will, Advance Directives, and Do Not Resuscitate orders.

3. In-Home Technology: There are a variety of new technologies designed for keeping aging adults safe in their homes, including personal emergency response systems (PERS), GPS tracking devices, automated medication reminders and dispensers, as well as systems that allow you to remotely monitor or control the usage of certain electrical outlets or appliances.

4. Respite Care: Many retirement communities, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes offer respite care on a per diem basis for short stays. If your loved one just needs daytime-only activities or supervision, consider an adult day care center.

“Caregiving is exhausting and difficult work,” says Jeffrey S. Pine, past-president of the Aging Life Care Association™.  “But with some extra planning and research, it is possible to take some time away from your caregiving responsibilities to recharge your batteries.”

To access a nationwide directory of Aging Life Care Professionals, please visit aginglifecare.org. For more on how an Aging Life Care Professional can help you plan for a caregiver vacation, read Next Avenue’s  “How to Take a Vacation When You’re a Caregiver” by Wendy Shuman.


This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute, nor is it intended to be a substitute for, professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Information on this blog does not necessarily reflect official positions of the Aging Life Care Association™ and is provided “as is” without warranty. Always consult with a qualified professional with any particular questions you may have regarding your or a family member’s needs.