Moving to a senior community is the opposite of losing your freedom
We often come into a home when moving has become a necessity. Many clients are malnourished and no longer able to maintain a safe and clean home. The sad part is that while seniors feel they will be giving up their freedom, the opposite is really true. Their home now owns them. It's always so frustrating to see people live in only a few rooms of their home while they have rooms going unused, filled with stuff and being neglected.
When you live in a senior community, you have freedom from the daily chores of cooking and cleaning. In some communities you won't even have to do laundry. You also have the freedom to explore new interests and hobbies and the opportunity to make new friends.
Here's a recent example of a client who waited too long.
A Carlsbad community reached out about a 30 year retired Navy Captain whose wife was in skilled nursing while he was on dialysis and rapidly declining. After meeting with him the next day, I realized quickly that he needed to be moved into assisted living as soon as possible. I knew we had our work cut out for us to make it happen, but I also knew it was absolutely essential. He was very frail and struggled for breath, yet he insisted on climbing stairs. He was unkempt, wore dirty clothes, and the home smelled from rotten food, urine and poor hygiene.
When we met with the client for only two very short floor planning and sorting sessions, it was clear he was overwhelmed by all of the decisions. He allowed us to make these decisions based on our experience with moving other clients.
We carefully went through the couple's belongings, selecting beautiful mementos, photographs and personal items we thought were most important and/or loved. We also contacted their son who lived across country and identified the items most important to him.
The day of the move, the client was supposed to meet us in the lobby at 3:00. He never showed. I left him a detailed note for when he finally came to his new home but by 8 p.m that evening he had still not arrived. Frustrated and concerned for his safety, I called the police. It turns out they were called by my clients' neighbors. He was with them, and he thought he had been robbed. He completely forgot that he was moving. He finally arrived at 12:25 a.m.
Because of the condition of the home, the cost of cleaning and clearing it was going to be more than the value of the items that were still salable. Our best option was liquidation.
In less than one week we were able to create a new home for our clients, and while the home was organized and decorated beautifully it would have been even better had they been able to make many of the choices themselves. Had the move been made proactively, they might have enjoyed the perks of community living and the freedom from household responsibilities.
We often come into a home when moving has become a necessity. Many clients are malnourished and no longer able to maintain a safe and clean home. The sad part is that while seniors feel they will be giving up their freedom, the opposite is really true. Their home now owns them. It's always so frustrating to see people live in only a few rooms of their home while they have rooms going unused, filled with stuff and being neglected.
When you live in a senior community, you have freedom from the daily chores of cooking and cleaning. In some communities you won't even have to do laundry. You also have the freedom to explore new interests and hobbies and the opportunity to make new friends.
Here's a recent example of a client who waited too long.
A Carlsbad community reached out about a 30 year retired Navy Captain whose wife was in skilled nursing while he was on dialysis and rapidly declining. After meeting with him the next day, I realized quickly that he needed to be moved into assisted living as soon as possible. I knew we had our work cut out for us to make it happen, but I also knew it was absolutely essential. He was very frail and struggled for breath, yet he insisted on climbing stairs. He was unkempt, wore dirty clothes, and the home smelled from rotten food, urine and poor hygiene.
When we met with the client for only two very short floor planning and sorting sessions, it was clear he was overwhelmed by all of the decisions. He allowed us to make these decisions based on our experience with moving other clients.
We carefully went through the couple's belongings, selecting beautiful mementos, photographs and personal items we thought were most important and/or loved. We also contacted their son who lived across country and identified the items most important to him.
The day of the move, the client was supposed to meet us in the lobby at 3:00. He never showed. I left him a detailed note for when he finally came to his new home but by 8 p.m that evening he had still not arrived. Frustrated and concerned for his safety, I called the police. It turns out they were called by my clients' neighbors. He was with them, and he thought he had been robbed. He completely forgot that he was moving. He finally arrived at 12:25 a.m.
Because of the condition of the home, the cost of cleaning and clearing it was going to be more than the value of the items that were still salable. Our best option was liquidation.
In less than one week we were able to create a new home for our clients, and while the home was organized and decorated beautifully it would have been even better had they been able to make many of the choices themselves. Had the move been made proactively, they might have enjoyed the perks of community living and the freedom from household responsibilities.