Top-Drawer Resources

Printed Resources for Baltimore area Seniors

Brenda Becker — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:11:28 +0000

If you are looking for a “handbook” of information about resources and services available for seniors, the one to get is the Guide to Retirement Living Sourcebook. Not only does it list area vendors and service providers, it contains informative articles about everything from housing options to help for families.

Continuing Care Retirement Community

Top-Drawer Resources is thrilled to have an article included on their website. In the Top 5 Questions to Ask Retirement Community Residency Counselors you’ll see a list of questions related to health care costs, other fees, fee increases, tax deduction allowances and community management. As we say in the article, there are of course many more questions to ask, but this is a good start.

Will This Be The Spring Season to Move? (topdrawerresources.com)
Where Should I Live in Retirement? (topdrawerresources.com)

Reading for Family Caregivers

Brenda Becker — Tue, 01 May 2012 20:14:50 +0000

Adult siblings caring for aging parents have varying degrees of patience, understanding and time. Often they also approach concerns or problems from different perspectives. The May 2012 issue of MORE magazine includes an article about the difficulties siblings face when they try to do what’s best for their parents. The magazine listed several books that explore how adult siblings can manage their relationships when caring for aging loved ones. In no particular order, they are:

Support at Home

Brenda Becker — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:12:26 +0000

Not interested in moving to a retirement community, but need some support at home? This morning , at a meeting of the Baltimore County Provider Council, I listened to a presentation related to three types of service providers that specialize in bringing services into the home (“home” can also be in a retirement community, assisted living facility or nursing home). Here’s a quick summary.

Companion services home health services, and hospice services all deliver supports that enable a person to live comfortably and safely at home for as long as possible. Companion services are ideal for someone who needs or wants some basic help around the house. Companions keep their clients company, as their name suggests. They chat with clients, read to them and accompany them on trips to the grocery store or medical appointments. Typically they will also help with chores like cooking, light housekeeping and laundry. Companions may not provide any hands -on care. They are not properly trained and their agencies may not be licensed for such services. For more information on types of companion service providers, read our article on selecting an agency, registry or independent contractor.

Home health care agencies will send a certified nursing assistant, CNA, to the home. Under the supervision of a nurse, these helpers can assist with activities of daily living that require hands-on care such as dressing, transferring, bathing and toileting. Some aides have been trained in dementia care, an essential skill when working with clients who have Alzheimer’s or other forms of significant cognitive decline.

Hospice services come into play when a prognosis indicates less than 6 months of life for a patient. The interdisciplinary hospice team typically includes a nurse, social worker, chaplain, home health aide, and a physician. The goal of the team is to make the patient as comfortable as possible in the end stages of their life, while also providing emotional support to them and their family. These services are covered by Medicare when approved by a physician.

4 Keys to Selling Your Home Quickly

Brenda Becker — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:35:17 +0000

The CCRC has called and they have an apartment available for you. If you haven’t already put your house on the market, here are a few things to keep in mind to move the process along.

Price – Having the home appropriately priced out of the gate is important to capture the attention of serious buyers. If the asking price is too high, some won’t even bother looking because they either assume they can’t afford it or they don’t want to deal with unreasonable sellers.

Presentation – It goes without saying that the inside and outside of the home must look as appealing as possible. Get rid of clutter, consider curb appeal, and do a deep cleaning everywhere. Remodeling magazine ranked buying a new steel entry door, replacing the garage door, and minor remodeling of the kitchen as the top three remodels with the highest return on investment nationwide.

Flexibility – Being willing to negotiate price, make repairs, leave appliances or draperies, or change your move-out date can affect how easily and quickly you sell your home. Consider in advance what is set in stone and what you feel comfortable negotiating.

The Buyer – Working with a buyer who has a pre-approved mortage is more likely to result in a sale. If you have the opportunity to select among offers, keep this in mind.

Some retirement communities offer “move-in” incentives to help their prospective residents relocate to their new homes sooner. One local community will reimburse the resident $2000 in moving expenses. This money can be used to ‘stage’ the home, hire a move manager, or pay the moving company.

How to Speed Up The Sale Of Your House (moneymanager.com)

Before Scheduling Your Tour, Consider these Question

Brenda Becker — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:49:18 +0000

Ask yourself a few important questions before making a visit to a retirement community.

Moving CAN Be Less Stressful Than You Think

Brenda Becker — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:26:51 +0000

Maybe you’ve been thinking of moving for quite some time, but you can’t quite get beyond the thinking stage. Or, perhaps you have an aging parent or client who you believe could benefit from a more appropriate living environment. Where do you start?

Depending on your needs, interests and circumstances, there are professionals available who specialize in providing services to seniors. Among them are those who can make the move less traumatic and time-consuming.

Deciding where to move - Active adult communities, condominiums, rental apartments, and entrance fee CCRCs (continuing care retirement community) are among the choices for active seniors. For those moving to independent living, senior living specialists can help explain and narrow down the options. If an assisted living community appears to be a more appropriate fit, consider engaging a geriatric care manager to do an initial assessment upon which to base housing recommendations, or work with a placement specialist who is compensated by the referred community.
Getting started – Senior move managers are a godsend when it comes to sorting through all the stuff that’s been collected over a lifetime. They’ll help you sort and pack, sell, donate, and trash items in preparation for a many. Many will even create floorplans and set up the new residence so that the owner can simply move in and enjoy. “Moving is a difficult process at any age, and for seniors and their families, this is particularly true. A senior move manager can help reduce the physical strain and mental stress that accompany such a change by handling as many, or as few, of the details of a move as needed,” explains Dawn Converse of Caring Hands Senior Moving Services.
Updating wills and estate plans - Getting settled into a new home can also be a trigger for getting other affairs in order. Copies of advance directives and power of attorney documents may be required by some communities, like CCRCs.
Moving - Several companies now specialize in moving seniors. It’s not a necessity, but it sure helps.

Making a move does have its ups and downs, but having caring senior-oriented professionals at your side can ease the transition and ultimately lead you to your end goals.

Will This Be The Spring Season to Move? (topdrawerresources.com)
Should I Get on the List at the Retirement Community? (topdrawerresources.com)

Will This Be The Spring Season to Move?

Brenda Becker — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:44:43 +0000

According to Movoto.com, “Baltimore’s home resale inventories decreased slightly, with a 2 percent decrease since February 2012. Distressed properties such as foreclosures and short sales decreased as a percentage of the total market in March. The median listing price in Baltimore went up from February to March. There were a total of 70 price increases and 703 price decreases.” [March 1, 2011] It’s not earthshaking news, but the general sense in the industry is that these baby steps are on the path to recovery for the real estate market. Since 2008, seniors interested in selling their homes to downsize or make accommodations for other housing needs, have watched their home values slide. There have been signs recently however, that this trend is reversing, which is good news for seniors and the retirement communities they wish to move to.

When I used to oversee the marketing and admissions departments at the Broadmead retirement community, we expected the office to be busy in the Spring for two reasons. One, the annual fee increases took effect on July 1st, and two, the winter months often triggered people to seek ways to get rid of winter chores and remain more social. The local real estate market altered this “buying” pattern for many communities and as a result, the communities who suffered from lower occupancy began offering move-in incentives, like lower entrance fees, reimbursement for moving expenses, and more flexibility in apartment refurbishments. It’s actually been a very good time to move to a retirement community — if you can sell you current home. As the market improves, some of these incentives could vanish. Timing is important for selling your home, as well as moving to a retirement community. Waiting too long may mean fewer incentives, fewer choices, and/or ineligibility due to declining health.

Take the time to crunch some numbers and see if, and when, a retirement community makes sense for you.

Top-Drawer Resources works with seniors who are considering a new independent living situation in the Baltimore County/City area. For more information, click here.

Should I Get on the List at the Retirement Community? (topdrawerresources.com)
Finding the Right Retirement Community Is Not Easy (topdrawerresources.com)
Icy in Baltimore (topdrawerresources.com)
Where Should I Live in Retirement? (topdrawerresources.com)

Help End Alzheimer’s Disease

Brenda Becker — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:01:54 +0000

A PET scan of a brain with Alzheimer's disease. Image via Wikipedia

One in eight older Americans has Alzheimer’s disease, and it’s the only one of the top ten causes of death that has no cure or means of prevention. This disease not only affects 5.4 million Americans living with the disease, it has a profound affect on family members and caregivers. Fifteen million Americans provide unpaid care for those suffering from the ravages of this terrible disease. (Source: alz.org.)

There are many ways to get involved in the fight against Alzheimer’s. The Alzheimer’s Association of Central Maryland is kicking off its Greater Baltimore Walk to End Alzheimer’s campaign with a social event on Wednesday, March 28, at 7 West Bistro Grille from 4pm-7pm for a fun-filled evening with good fun, great friends and exciting door prizes! This will be an opportunity to socialize with other Walk Champions and learn more about how to make an impact on ending this disease. RSVP here by Friday, March 23. Contact Kisha James at 410.561.9099 or Kisha.James@alz.org with any questions. Everyone is welcome.

Also coming up is the Making Connections conference at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Timonium. This conference has been created for individuals with early dementia and all of their care team, including family, friends and other care partners. Topics for the all day conference include: “Strengthening Partnerships with your Doctor,” “Recognizing Communication Changes in Dementia: Tools to Succeed,” “Depression, Anxiety, and Agitation: What to Expect,” Personal Expressions Through Writing,” and “New Therapies for Living with Dementia.” The conference will be held April 14^th from 8am-3pm. If you’d like to attend, call 410.561.9099 or email info.maryland@alz.org.

I’ve recently joined the Walk to End Alzheimer’s committee and hope to positively contribute to this cause. If you are free on March 28^th, come to the social to learn about the walk and how you can get involved. If you’re interested in joining team TOP-DRAWER CARES, please drop us an email at Care@TopDrawerResources.com.

Alzheimer’s and the Economy (247wallst.com)
Alzheimer’s, Dementia Care to Cost U.S. $200 Billion This Year (news.health.com)

Where Should I Live in Retirement?

Brenda Becker — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:10:31 +0000

Where one decides to live in retirement is, or should be, a very personal decision. It’s easy to find hundreds of articles online about wonderful places to live, but what really makes a place wonderful is that is suits the resident. As Steve Vernon points out in his article How to Choose the Best Place to Retire, the ‘right place’ is where the resident feels at home.

Mr. Vernon highights a number of factors to consider that he feels are more important than the typically sited criteria like weather, activities and cost of living. Among his factors are proximity to family; the availability of full- or part-time work; one’s own housing budget; the availability of transportation and health care; and how well one fits in with the neighbors. I agree with the points he’s made, and would add that these criteria are the same whether someone is moving into a single family home, a condominium or a retirement community. There are always a couple factors that matter more than others. It’s important to never lose site of these during the exploration and decision making phases.

Yesterday, I was talking with a family whose mother is considering a very upscale continuing care retirement community. The daughter-in-law is worried that it won’t be a good fit. Just like prospective college students often spend the night on campus, prospective retirement community residents can benefit greatly by spending time on ‘campus’ to test out how well they fit in and to experience what really goes on when the sales folks aren’t around. I always encourage people to talk with residents; eat in the dining rooms and listen to the conversations going on around them; spend a few days on campus, if possible. Don’t be afraid to ask residents what they like and don’t like about the community. Most are happy to share their experiences. In the end, only the person making the move should determine what is a good fit…..or not.

Top-Drawer Resources works with seniors who are considering a new independent living situation in the Baltimore County/City area. For more information, click here.

How to Decide Where to Retire (money.usnews.com)
Respecting the Wishes of Aging Parents (topdrawerresources.com)
Do You Know The Differences Between Independent Senior Living Options? (topdrawerresources.com)

Respecting the Wishes of Aging Parents

Brenda Becker — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:34:37 +0000

“We’re not parenting our parents, we’re partnering with our parents,” says David Solie, an adult child who learned the hard way how important it is to respect aging parents’ wishes — whether one agrees with them or not.

Melissa Healy, in her Los Angeles Times article Talking to Aging Parents About Changes, addresses how well-meaning adult children often times overwhelm their parents with attempts to help. In Solie’s case, the best intentions of a loving son resulted in a 3-year period when his mother would not speak with him. A physican’s assistant by training, Solie thought he knew what was best for his mother — she should move to a assisted living community; give up driving; turn over information about her finances; and so on. After some time, mother and son worked out their differences and Solie discusses what he learned about helping aging parents in his book “How to Say It to Seniors: Closing the Communication Gap with Our Elders.”

Mr. Solie notes that “What was on [his mother's] agenda — as with most aging parents at the threshold of needing their children’s’ help — were two things. She had a powerful need to maintain control over her life at a time when age and illness were making that increasingly complex. And she nurtured a deep desire to see and appreciate that her life had meant something — to consolidate her legacy.” Once he understood this, he approached her in a completely different way.

When we receive calls from adult children who are interested in finding senior services for their parents, we first determine whether the senior is on-board with receiving the service. For example, while it may seem that mom is lonely and needs companionship, Mom may actually be fine and may prefer her solitude. There is a difference between being alone and being lonely. Sometimes the adult children, in their hectic, action-packed lives believe that everyone flourishes with lots of activity. Mom must be amenable to companionship before we can recommend an agency to help. Likewise, adult children often appreciate the variety of services and amenities of a continuing care retirement community long before their parents make a decision to move. Such significant decisions can only be made when the senior is open to the possibilities. At Top-Drawer Resources, we believe strongly that everyone has the right to make decisions that affect their own lives.

When it comes to moving to a retirement community, one of the things we do in our consulting work is to objectively show the pros and cons of the communities under consideration. While adult children do their best to appear objective, sometimes the parents just need to work it out alone or with the help of a knowledgable senior advisor.

Related articles

Respect and Old Age (topdrawerresources.com)