By Cynthia Perthuis, CDP, CADDCT, CSA
Everyone knows transitions, good or bad, cause stress. As a young adult moving away to college or a middle-age adult transitioning into a new career, stress abounds. In the past five years, Senior Care Authority has supported close to 10,000 families as they navigated the aging process. We’ve helped our clients determine when it’s no longer safe for them to drive, how to age in place in their own home, and knowing when and how to move into a senior living community. This experience has taught us two things:
1. Moving into a senior living community is a difficult and emotional process.
2. Everyone needs more help than they think they’ll need, regardless of the circumstances around the move.
Moving into a senior living community is difficult.
It may seem easy to look for senior living communities, however, that is just one piece of the puzzle. There is an unseen emotional journey seniors and their families go through. As stated by one of our clients, Marion, “My family and I were going 100 different directions until we met our care advisor. She was able to narrow down the options for us and concentrated on my personal needs.” Even Marion, who self-initiated the move into a senior living community and had her family’s support found the process overwhelming.
The move can also be hard on family members, especially when loved ones live out of the area. One of our clients, Joseph*, lives in Florida, but his family lives in three different states. Joseph has an independent spirit, but a body that can’t quite keep up with him. He was adamant he did not want to go to assisted living, but agreed after getting lost and being on a Silver Alert on two separate occasions.
Everyone needs more help than they think they will.
I share the realities of senior aging because I want you to be prepared. But most importantly, I want you to know there is help. Because we know that everyone needs more help than they think, regardless of the circumstances, Senior Care Authority created Peace of Mind.
Peace of Mind is a service we provide to help our clients ease the stress of leaving their former home and adjusting to a new one. We bridge the gap between the life they knew and help them build their new life. For example, in Joseph’s case, it’s not feasible for his family to visit him every week. His Peace of Mind Advisor visits him once a week. They have lunch together, listen to his favorite music, and share stories about “the good ‘ole days.” As a result Joseph is less lonely and anxious. His family is also less anxious and are comforted that all of Dad’s needs are being met. With the help of his Peace of Mind Advisor, Joseph has been able to make new friends in the community and “the good ole days” stories have become a group activity. Every visit, his advisor takes a photo of him and sends it to his family so they can also rest easier knowing Joseph is cared for, safe, and transitioning well to his new life.
In the case of Suzette* her family lived locally. Suzette was cared for by her Godson, Brian*, as the rest of her family had passed away. Brian lived and worked five miles from Suzette. He wanted to be with Suzette more, but his life was hectic. He was finishing his masters and he had a young family of his own. Brian reached out to us because he wasn’t sure Suzette was adjusting well. He did not feel equipped to help and felt intimidated when talking with the staff. In the two months we worked with Suzette, we were able to be an extra set of eyes for both the staff and Brian, facilitating communication between all parties. For example, Suzette liked a specific cream in her coffee. Brian didn’t know this, and Suzette didn’t ask the community to get it for her. But, her Peace of Mind Advisor noticed her looking longingly at the cream but never using it. After some probing, we learned Suzette liked a specific type of cream in her coffee. We shared the information with the community and they were happy to provide it. Brian also brought some for the small refrigerator in her room.
This kind of support is simple, yet has a tremendous impact on people’s lives. Everyone wants to feel seen and heard. Peace of Mind does that.
In a nutshell, Peace of Mind:
. Eases the stress of the move-in by providing extra support, verifying post-move in needs and wants and helps set realistic expectations between the resident, family and staff.
. Provides an extra set of eyes on your loved one. We are skilled at reading between the lines, noticing subtle changes, asking the right questions and will report back to you.
. Most simply, we are there when you can’t be.
If you’re interested in a high touch solution to meet your needs – and your loved ones—call Debra Hussey at (239) 330-2133 or email her at debra@seniorcareauthority.com or visit our website www.scanyfl.com
*names have been changed to protect client’s privacy