Three Steps for Choosing Your New Home

Three Steps for Choosing Your New Home

Step 1. Evaluate your needs, desires and resources or those of the prospective senior resident.

Needs encompass what is absolutely necessary for a senior’s life to continue in the best possible setting. If you are unsure about the level of care or type of housing you need, there are numerous assessment tools and questionnaires available. See where needs fall in the range between full independence and around-the-clock nursing care. Another factor is deciding when a move is necessary or desirable.

Desires are what we are naturally drawn to or what sound the most appealing for a specific situation. An important first consideration is where you want your needs met. You may want to stay in your current home and have a variety of homes services delivered there. Or you may choose to move to an assisted living community or skilled nursing facility. Do you want to stay near your current residence or close to the home of a family member? Do you want a community that mimics your current home? Would you prefer a facility operated by a particular religious or fraternal organization? Is a particular climate important?

Resources include the income, savings, investments, or sale of a residence that can be devoted to home care or a senior living community. Generally speaking, costs are almost always the responsibility of the individual, so you may want to consult an attorney or financial planner.

Step 2. Evaluate your housing and care options

This may be easier than you think because so much information is out there. (Check the Internet Resources page on our website.) Talk at length to admissions coordinators at the community or care option closest to our needs. Read the facility descriptions and check locations.

Step 3. Finally, and very importantly, visit your top candidates.

If possible, schedule a visit to the communities of your choice and then return later unannounced. After 5 p.m. and during mealtime will reveal important aspects of that community’s daily operation.

[from www.newlifestyles.com, a national guide to senior care]