A Family Project: Making The Right Choice For Senior Living Together!

It’s been on your mind for a long time now: I want to move to a senior living community, but when is the right time — and how do I tell the kids? How do I make the right choice for senior living?

You know that NOW is actually the best time since there is no health crisis influencing your move and causing you and your family to make a rushed decision. You’re healthy, well, and independent. But you simply want MORE in your senior years. More activity options. More friends around. More security. With LESS responsibility for housekeeping and maintenance. And the SAME precious independence you enjoy now. Your decision to make the move is made — so why are you stalling?

Brad Breeding, president and co-founder of myLifeSite, which is dedicated to designing resources for families striving to make better-informed decisions on retirement living options for seniors, reports on research findings in his recent blog, 3 Reasons Seniors Delay . . . Making a Move . . ., and goes on to clarify further the following three reasons seniors hesitate when making a decision about moving to senior living:

• I don’t feel I’m old enough for a retirement community (46.6 percent of those surveyed).
• I have concerns about long-term affordability (41.92 percent of those surveyed).
• I’m putting off dealing with all my stuff/hassle of moving (34.19 percent of those surveyed).

Did any of these reasons strike a chord? Mr. Breeding expands on these three reasons for the delay in his blog and presents great direction and additional decision-making resources. It’s definitely interesting, helpful, and worth the read. And if downsizing is YOUR biggest inhibitor to making a decision, Sierra Winds offers a tremendous blog resource to ease your mind and motivate you to sort, donate, and toss.

But next, we’d like to turn the corner and give you helpful considerations for involving your family in this all-important decision-making process about YOUR future.

Starting The Conversation.

You’ve been spending a good amount of time thinking about this, but do your children know your thoughts? Start by telling them and don’t be surprised when feelings and emotions start entering in. Talk it through. Don’t fear the discussion or deny the realities of aging. Keep in mind that you’re not the only one transitioning to a new lifestyle. Your family needs to prepare for this major change, too. Communication, transparency, and positivity will be key as you go forward. If handled appropriately, this decision-making process can actually be rewarding and unifying for you and your family.

Searching & Decision-Making.

Communicate your thoughts, wishes, and questions with your adult children (spouses and siblings, too) — leave no one out of the loop. Think transparency! Everyone needs to understand the reasons for your decision, what YOU want, as well as the tremendous advantages the entire family could experience by figuring out the details of this major move together — as a family.

It’s YOUR life decision. But you’ll need a team to help you along the way. Once you’ve communicated your wishes to your family, get each family member involved with the process. They become your Team of Advisors. Decide, as a group, what family member is best — based on individual talent — to handle particular areas. Here are six players you might consider for your team:

• A Mediator — someone to keep all family members in the loop.
• A Real Estate Guru — someone to handle prepping, listing, selling, and moving from your current home.
• A Search Party — a group to visit, take notes, eliminate, and add to the list of potential communities.
• A Tax Advisor — someone to handle these details with your existing professional.
• A Legal Professional — a family member to keep track of legal documents and medical directives.
• A Financial & Insurance Advisor — a money specialist to manage financial assets and cash flow for your new lifestyle.

It’s a lot of work, but stay positive. When was the last time you took on a project as big as this — as a family? The process will ease your loved one’s mind, promote the self-esteem of all family members contributing through their special talents, and help foster a solid relationship with the community they all choose together. We’ve seen this approach draw siblings closer together, promote a greater appreciation of life and relationships, and foster a deeper understanding of what the future could hold for a senior loved one.

Sierra Winds Is Unique.

As a full-service Life Plan Community, Sierra Winds combines an independent lifestyle with peace of mind and financial security for all residents. They know they have priority access to a Health Center for skilled nursing care, rehabilitation, and post-observation stays if ever needed. And, in addition, they are guaranteed unlimited days of long-term health care — backed by Life Care — at the same predictable monthly rate as their independent living residence in familiar surroundings among people and professionals they know and trust.

Sierra Winds offers cost-effective Life Care in a friendly community where you’ll feel right at home without giving up the independence and comforts you love. It actually can be a smart decision for your family and generations to come. Choosing wisely is a very happy feeling and planning for the future now can help you enjoy today. We hope your Family Team will start a conversation with us today and find that it is the best fit for you.

Finally, Sierra Winds is managed by Life Care Services, a pioneer of the Life Care concept and leader in the retirement industry for more than 40 years. As you will soon discover, Sierra Winds is distinguished in the West Valley for its vibrant and friendly ambience and for its exceptional quality of care. Start your family conversation with Sierra Winds today and we’ll show you what we mean. Call (623) 738-2962 or contact us online.