About
This is a forum for sharing day to day occurences, past recollections, and current trends that are of interest to the 55 and over crowd (and that crowd is getting larger by the second). I hope you will enjoy, reflect, educate and share with me. I am a Residential Realtor with Coldwell Banker Residential in Reston Virginia.
Thanks for reading and commenting,
Brent DeRobertis
Have you ever heard about the crunch to downsize and move over a long weekend or within a two week or a month time frame, and what a stressful experience that is? I was talking today to a colleague about awful life experiences, and this has got to be one of them. It can occur when a parent must go to assisted living, or because of foreclosure, or due to fear and confusion sparking procrastination until the last moment.
There are good reasons to develop a plan to just simplify or downsize pending a move in the future. Lead time is so very important, it can not be emphasized enough. I have helped friends over the years, so I experienced quiet a variety of moves. Most of them were tramatic for my friends.
My brother and I had two and half months to relocate our mother to a independent living facility, that had assisted living and nursing home components on a single campus. That was not nearly enough time to vacate and coordinate after 35 years living in her house. Mother had Parkinson’s that weakened her over all stability and slowly inhibited her right side and ability to walk. She lived happily there for five years before she died at age 90.
While this is a slight reminiscence to share with you, and an emphasis on planning ahead of time, it is also an important subject to address and discuss senior to senior. Planning and simplifying well before you relocate is necessary to reduce the stress of change.
A key part of preparation and planning I have learned and experienced is this: are your will, living trust, medical directive and other important and critical papers in order. In short, are all these papers collected and kept at hand so family members and key friends are able to help you either in a health emergency or to get you ready to move?
Here are some other key questions to consider:
Do you need financial advice about taxes, appraisal of valuable possessions, mortgages, investments, long term care insurance? 9) Are you one of the growing numbers of seniors who have the ability to move in with a adult child? If so, are you aware of and have you discussed family dynamics over the long term with such a deicision?
1) If something happen to you would a third party (say, with a power of attorney) be able to step forward and carry out your wishes? 2) Have you stated your health wishes in a medical directive so your wishes are carried out? 3) Would omissions and screw-ups take your physical possessions, maybe your home, to probate if something happened to you and there were no plans in place? 4) Have you regularly had health and medical checkups, so you know predictably how your health will dictate your life decisions? 5) Like my brother and I did regarding our mother, would your family members or others be able to come in on a regular basis for awhile and help you do all the myriad tasks required to help make your move less stressful and largely successful? For example, distribute possessions to children and friends, or make sure donations are correctly directed to charities of your choice? 6) Most important, are adult children or key friends in position to come and assist you when required, maybe at an inconvenience to them? 7) Have you considered seeking help from a professional organizing consultant well ahead of time to allow you to gradually simplfy your life and be ready to go?
I would be interested in replies from seniors about what you have done, or intend to do, about planning and preparing yourself or yourselves to go to relocate Independent Living or Assisted Living facilities.
Bill Rolph
Arlington VA