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 are afraid of giving up their freedom, the opposite is really true. Their home now owns them instead of them owning their homes. 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.
When you live in a senior community, you have the freedom to come and go as you please (and are able). You have the freedom from responsibilities like cooking and cleaning. (Some communities provide laundry, others do not.). You also have the freedom to explore new interests and hobbies as well as making 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 who's wife was in skilled nursing while he was on dialysis and rapidly declining.
After meeting with him the next day, it was clear he needed to be moved into assisted living as soon as possible When we walked out of our appointment, I knew we were about to eat an elephant in one big bite but I also knew it was absolutely essential. He was very frail and struggled for breath yet insisted on climbing stairs. He was unkempt wearing 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 so he allowed us to make these decisions based on our experience moving other clients.
We carefully went through couples belongings selecting beautiful mementoes, photographs and personal items we thought were most important and/or loved. We also contacted the 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 for an update since he didn't have a cell phone. He never showed. I'd left him a detailed note realizing he had some cognitive impairment but by 8 p.m that evening, he had still not arrived. At that point, I called the police and they told me neighbors were with him in his home which he believed had been robbed. (This man has been living independently and is still driving.)
He finally arrived at 12:25 a.m.
Because his home was in such disarray, the cost of cleaning and clearing it was going to be more than the value of the items that were still salable. In this case our best option was liquidation.
In less than one week, we were able to create a new home for him but his input and the choices made were not as great as they could have been. He is now safe, in a clean environment and in a community that can help him manage. Had the move been made proactively, he 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 are afraid of giving up their freedom, the opposite is really true. Their home now owns them instead of them owning their homes. 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.
When you live in a senior community, you have the freedom to come and go as you please (and are able). You have the freedom from responsibilities like cooking and cleaning. (Some communities provide laundry, others do not.). You also have the freedom to explore new interests and hobbies as well as making 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 who's wife was in skilled nursing while he was on dialysis and rapidly declining.
After meeting with him the next day, it was clear he needed to be moved into assisted living as soon as possible When we walked out of our appointment, I knew we were about to eat an elephant in one big bite but I also knew it was absolutely essential. He was very frail and struggled for breath yet insisted on climbing stairs. He was unkempt wearing 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 so he allowed us to make these decisions based on our experience moving other clients.
We carefully went through couples belongings selecting beautiful mementoes, photographs and personal items we thought were most important and/or loved. We also contacted the 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 for an update since he didn't have a cell phone. He never showed. I'd left him a detailed note realizing he had some cognitive impairment but by 8 p.m that evening, he had still not arrived. At that point, I called the police and they told me neighbors were with him in his home which he believed had been robbed. (This man has been living independently and is still driving.)
He finally arrived at 12:25 a.m.
Because his home was in such disarray, the cost of cleaning and clearing it was going to be more than the value of the items that were still salable. In this case our best option was liquidation.
In less than one week, we were able to create a new home for him but his input and the choices made were not as great as they could have been. He is now safe, in a clean environment and in a community that can help him manage. Had the move been made proactively, he might have enjoyed the perks of community living and the freedom from household responsibilities.
