As the old song says, “there’s no place like home for the holidays.” But along with the happiness and joy the season brings, it may also bring about feelings of concern and worry as you spend time with your aging loved ones. You may find that they aren’t able to get around as well as they used to. Perhaps there are health issues that have been neglected and need attention. You may also notice that their mental condition has changed significantly since your last visit. These changes may make you question whether or not they are able to continue living alone safely.
This can be an overwhelming situation and very stressful for a family. Questions that may come up include:
• Does my parent/grandparent need to move or will having in-home assistance be enough?
• How will we pay for either help or moving them to a senior community?
• How do I bring up the subject to them?
• How do I talk about this to my other family members?
• How can we arrange this when all of us live out of town?
• Am I just being paranoid? What signs of decline should we really be looking for?
• Who’s going to arrange and manage everything? The sale of the house? Moving? Estate Sales?
• Who can help us understand the financial implications?
• What options are there with Medicare?
• Do they have to go to a nursing home? What level of care do they need?
• Should they or can they move in with any of us? Can any of us give them the proper care?
• How do we find a good senior community? Who can help with this?
The biggest question, though, is probably “Where do we start?” For answers to all of these questions, the best thing to do is seek out professionals who specialize in helping seniors. That’s where Senior Downsizing Experts comes in. Not only are we certified senior real estate professionals and move managers, we are also children of aging parents who have gone through these same scenarios with our own parents. Because of both our professional and personal experiences, we are uniquely equipped to assist families who are facing these issues. We can help you decide whether or not a move is the best option for your senior loved one, or if aging-in-place might be a better decision for now. We can refer you to trusted, senior-focused businesses including elder law attorneys, financial planners, home healthcare providers, and agencies that provide both in-home medical and non-medical assistance.
Should you decide a move is the best option, we have vetted, senior-friendly service professionals – including home repair experts, packers and movers, and estate liquidation companies – to help with every step of the process. We keep your family’s timeline in mind and work within that. We never rush you to make a decision. We can also give you guidance on the housing options available in the area and help you decide what type of senior living community is the best fit for your situation.
We are passionate about our work with boomers and seniors and would love to help make these difficult decisions a little less stressful for your family. Please give us a call at 817-330-9235 if you or someone you know could use our services. Even if you aren’t in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, we can refer you to a senior specialist in your area.
Blessings and Happy Holidays from all of us at Senior Downsizing Experts!
