Where to Live
Yes, we are now in our 50 Plus---
NO! WAIT!
It’s the 60 PLUS years of our lives.
The Baby Boomers Have Arrived!!
We are definitely getting older; BUT so is everyone else.
Isn’t that an interesting thought?
Our friends, neighbors, children and our parents are all aging the same way we are!
We have just finished raising our kids and hopefully by this time, we see them settled in their own lives; now we can plan for the rest of our lives.
Or can we?
On our list of everyone that is getting older, we had to include our parents. They are getting older the same we are and their needs are changing as well as ours are.
Remember, they are in the place that we are headed to next and they have just left the place that we are now. Confusing, right?
Keep in mind that they don’t like the idea of getting older any more than we do.
The bones ache more, the memory seems to go on vacation and we slow down as time passes on.
This is an educational experience for both generations. There is an ‘up’ side to this!
What we help our parents plan for now is going to be the guide that we use for our future.
Therefore, as you can see, we never stop learning from our parents, no matter how old they get, they are still teaching us new things about life!
Boy, who would have thought that at 60 years old that I still had something left to learn, especially from my parents!
This however, is a great opportunity to tell your parents how you feel and that ‘together’ you will find all of the information that you both need to make informed decisions and get the information so you can weigh all of the options available. Not only will it benefit your parents, but you can have the information when you need it too.
Go into this with an open mind and ask them if they will be honest with you about voicing their opinions.
Two heads are still better than one and another viewpoint is always welcome. The decisions that your parents make may not be the ones that are best for you to make when you reach the senior years, but it will give you a focal point to start with.
There are some things that you may want to write down as a starting point such as;
Can they live in their own home with the assistance of meals on wheels, handicap transportation, homebound care, the Visiting Nurse Association and other forms of help?
On the other hand, is assisted living a better option to look into. They may have their own car, come and go as they like and still have the help of someone to make their meals, check on medication and be around for help in case they need it. There are pluses to everything in life; it is how you look at it that makes the difference.
A friend of mine went to live in an assisted living home because she was afraid to be alone, she constantly heard noises, didn’t sleep well at night, was on edge all of the time and now developed high blood pressure because of it. She hated the thought of giving up her home but she wanted to feel safe.
Moving was the best thing she did in her life and she is the first to brag about how smart she was. At the assisted living home, she found several friends that she hadn’t seen in years and renewed old friendships now I have to call a week ahead because I need to make an appointment, she is never home.
They are always on their way to play bingo, off to the movies, shopping, visiting (the old people in the nursing homes as they say) or volunteering at the local hospital. I am so proud of her I could jump for joy.
She took a situation that she was dreading and made it into the best thing in the world! Like the old saying says, if you are dealt with lemons-make lemonade and this smart little lady did just that!
If they would like to be in their own home, are not afraid, and can maintain things with a little help, you have to find out what those needs are and where to get the services needed and if it is within their budget.
Some things to think about and check into could be:
House cleaning services- maybe a local girl in the neighborhood or family member
Meal preparation- senior center, meals on wheels, restaurant certificates,
lawn maintenance- neighborhood boy or girl, next door neighbor, family, friends, shoveling snow-neighborhood girl or boy, neighbor, family, friends,
Home maintenance- make a list of repair people to call, family member, handyman,
grocery shopping- store with delivery services, someone available to take them, transportation- do they still drive, a neighbor, senior transportation, bus service.
There are services available from outside sources that can help in all of these areas. Don’t forget to check with local girl and boy scout troops (they adopt grandparents), church groups and organizations, senior centers and the office on aging.
When it comes to holidays and gift giving time, the senior citizen can never think of anything that they want or can use, mostly because they don’t need clothes, decorations or appliances.
However, there are things that you can give them that will be appreciated, make a list of gifts that would be appropriate since seniors will start to downsize at this point.
The best ones are tons of gift certificates; the grocery store, beauty salon, restaurants, bus passes, handy-man services, Wal-mart and other discount stores.
Something that our family did was to make a book of coupons that our parents could cash in whenever they needed to. We had a few that were blank and they could fill in with items they thought of and then we had the customary chore certificates such as: wash the outside windows, get out the lawn furniture, clean the basement, clean the garage, wash walls and paint. They could cash them in whenever they wanted to and we would sit down and mark a date on the calendar for the BIG day!
There are so many options available; it all depends on our wants,needs, health and frame of mind if we choose what is best for us. Just remember Baby Boomers, take a lot of notes, we are next!