Vignette

MRS. LEMMENTS MAKES A MOVE
Mrs. Lemments lived alone in the same two-story home in which she was born. Her children also grew up in the home. At 89 she was still climbing ladders, trying to weed her garden, and hiring workers for home maintenance projects. The family home fell into disrepair. Her adult children live out of state and struggle with the care of their own homes. Her oldest son learned quite by accident that property taxes were months past due. After months of discussion with her adult children, Mrs. Lemments finally agreed to relocate to a local senior community, but she steadfastly refused to leave her city of birth. Her adult children quickly learned the complexities of planning and orchestrating a move from afar.

Sound familiar?
 

COORDINATION OF THE MOVE
How did ElderCare Management of Coastal Georgia assist Mrs. Lemments and her family? After a comprehensive assessment of her needs and wishes, we connected Mrs. Lemments and her family with a senior move manager, a certified moving specialist who worked with them for a smooth transition from one home to another. We coordinated Mrs. Lemments’ other needs throughout the move with the specialist. For example, personal items such as hearing aids (and batteries!), dentures, or prescriptions are prone to falling between seat cushions or being left behind during a move. The son reminded us that his mom’s Poodle, Daisy, had already eaten at least two expensive hearing aids. Speaking of pets, the movers would not transport Daisy without a pet carrier so we purchased a carrier and Daisy safely went along for the ride.

SELECTION OF A SENIOR RESIDENCE
We also guided Mrs. Lemments and family through the senior living selection process including touring the residence, filling out the application, and introducing Mrs. Lemments to her new home and new caregivers. We also worked with her financial advisor to assure that her short and long term care was affordable. Mrs. Lemments was making a number of check book mistakes. We put her in touch with a daily money manager (DMM) to sort out and manage her day to day finances. Perhaps most important, we prepared Mrs. Lemments for the move to minimize any disorientation and to prevent move-related surprises. Wondering about daily money managers?

MONITORING AFTER THE MOVE
The family asked that we visit (monitor) Mrs. Lemments several times a week until she adjusted to her new home. Mrs. Lemments’ personal care and health care posed new complexities once she resided in a state licensed senior community—the lines of responsibility are less than clear. We oriented Mrs. Lemments to her new home and helped her caregivers understand that her wishes were at least as important as her basic needs. Once settled, we continued to monitor her care monthly, keeping the family and health care providers updated. When we or the staff had health care concerns we reassessed her status and contacted her providers as necessary. 

THE WISDOM
So what wisdom is buried in Mrs. Lemments’ story? What might her experience mean for you and your loved ones? Older adults and their families may view senior living communities as the solution to all life style and care giving dilemmas. In reality, moving into a senior living community does solve one set of very immediate issues but it generally creates a new set of issues. Most families know to look for basic items such as bathroom grab bars, an elegant dining area, and respectful personnel. However, few know to ask some of the following questions. Satisfying responses should be obtained BEFORE signing on the dotted line for any senior living community:

  • who will know that dad’s hearing aid batteries are almost out (dad won’t!)

  • how will new batteries get purchased
  • who will know when the batteries need changing (dad won’t!)
  • will mom be able to reach her sewing basket on the top shelf (without a ladder)
  • will mom’s cherished picture collection fit into her new residence
  • who will hang the picture collection—some of her pictures weigh more than 50 pounds
  • who will relocate her recliner to another wall–the movers left it where she can’t see TV
  • is there more than one cable and phone outlet or will they dictate all furniture placement
  • can dad operate all door handles with his arthritic hands
  • how far is mom’s residence from the elevator
  • hallways can be very long—is there seating along the way in case mom gets tired
  • if dad wants to skip the dining room on occasion how will he get his meal
  • who will remove last night’s pizza sauce from aunties favorite Red Hatters silk dress 
  • the netting fell off her red hat—who will replace it so she doesn’t miss the next social
  • who will inventory auntie’s personal items such as toilet tissue, hand soap, or deodorant

    • For those more comfortable with health as something limited to physical disease and illness, here are other considerations:

  • who will judge whether a health problem exists
  • are mom’s ankles newly swollen or are they more swollen today than last week
  • who will know to measure her ankles to compare the swelling
  • is the swelling normal for her age and condition or does it constitute a problem
  • has her dementia increased or changed in character and who will judge that change
  • dad is complaining of nightmares—who will notice dad’s urine has a foul odor and who decide how to best proceed.

    • A Cautionary Note!
    Be aware. It’s common, depending on the residence, for senior residences to send residents unattended (via emergency transport) to the emergency room for concerns about health–especially at night and on week-ends. On a good day, that ER visit can be an eight to ten hour trip for issues such as a sore throat, a stubbed toe, a headache, and so on. Emergency rooms for designed to manage life threatening conditions. Please, do everything you can to keep your loved one out of the emergency department unless they need to be there! Last, if your loved one ends up in the emergency department please make sure someone is with them at all times.