Age in Place or Time to Move: How Do You Know?
Age in place or make a move? How do you know? This is a difficult topic, especially considering all the factors of your situation.
Having the “final move” conversation can be very difficult, awkward and painful.
Even having this conversation, making the call, or looking at a website is very difficult for people. There are generations of people who have made the promise “Mom, I would never put you in a home.”
(Pro-tip: Do not make this promise and do not ask others to keep this promise for you; it is not fair, no one has a crystal ball!)
But, what do you do when someone’s needs exceed your abilities?
How do you know when it’s time to start talking about a move? How do you have this conversation with a loved one in your life? What if you are wondering if your home is safe? Someone said they need 24/7 care? Do they? What does that mean? How do you know if you’re not just worrying too much? What do you do?
Here are three steps we recommend to get you started.
- Plan
Our biggest advice, which may not be practical to your current situation, is to plan. Have this conversation in advance of having any kind of major injury or health crisis. Tour places, make wish lists and checklists. Have a plan for if something happens you know what could be done. This includes creating a best case plan and worst case plan. Make sure to highlight who is going to do what. Make a point to revisit this plan at least annually.
- Build Your Team
Build your team! The person in question of moving, has to be team member number one. A Geriatric Care Manager or Aging Life Care Expert is another fabulous addition to the team as they can conduct assessments, make recommendations and help find resources for aging in place as well as availability and pricing information if a move is necessary. Consider working with a Real Estate Agent who can give you an accurate estimate of the current home’s value as well as tips on when to sell, if you should sell, updates needed to your home, and a realistic timeline of when your home could be sell-ready.
- Determine What Type of Care is Needed
You have your plan, you have added to your team but kept the person possibly moving in the driver’s seat. Now, we need to get an actual assessment from professionals on what level of care is most appropriate and realistic based on physical, emotional, spiritual and social needs and assets. Again, a Geriatric Care Manager (GCM) can do this for you using various ADL (Activities of Daily Living) and IADL (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living) tests. You can also make an appointment with your primary care physician, ask for them to do a thorough check of all systems, diagnosis, follow up plans and prognosis related to those. Also ask for an order for OT (Occupational Therapy) to evaluate for proper level of care as well as treat for improvement of current function. In certain instances, you may be a six-week treatment away from being able to be stable at home. We believe a GCM, Primary Care Physician, and PT/OT team all together is the magic team in this scenario.
Still Not Sure?
If you’re still not sure what is best for your loved one, reach out for a free Clarity Call. We can help you assess the situation and navigate your next steps.
