by Rose Broyles

Continuing retirement communities are meant to make the transition easier for seniors who want to keep their independence, yet have the safety and security of knowing that if they need help in the future it is readily available.  It’s a one-stop-shop. You move there and live the rest of your days there.

Most of the time, only those with a sufficient amount of assets can move into these type of communities. After all, we all know how expensive long-term care can be. However, even those who can afford to move to these type of communities aren’t guaranteed 100% worry-free care.

The Stages

• Mom and Dad decide that the house too big, the children and grand-children live too far and they want something different so they move to ABC Retirement Community.

• They live in a single-story bungalow half the size of their former house. It is equipped with emergency cords to pull, weekly housekeeping, their own garage, and golf down the way. There is a huge dining hall where they can enjoy all of their meals in the company of friends and other neighbors. They also have the option of staying home and dining in.  In the community center, there are a calendar of events and classes that they can take: salsa, yoga for seniors, arts and crafts, chess, news and events discussion.

• Mom or Dad start to find it difficult to get things done. They become forgetful, start having “accidents” and have problems toileting. They might start to wander off, or Mom breaks her hip and is unable to leave the house. They move to assisted living so that the caregivers there can keep a closer watch on Mom. Dad doesn’t really need to be there, but he doesn’t want to be separated from her. For about the same cost or a little more for what they were paying for the single-story house, they are now both living in a 1-bedroom condo on-campus.

• Mom starts to get worse and it is determined that she has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and Alzheimers.  The staff determines that she needs to be moved into the locked Alzheimer’s wing on the other side of the building for her safety and for the residents. Dad can go visit her still but they will no longer be in the same room. They still have activities for them to do together in her part of the wing. Dad can also do his own activities on his side.

• Mom is no longer able to walk and is not eating, so she moves to skilled nursing on the other side of campus where she is given IV fluids to sustain her health. Dad is left behind in assisted living. With the assistance of staff, he takes the campus shuttle to go visit her every couple of days because he is having a hard time getting around as much.
  

Now this is a fictional scenario, but one typical of what it would be like to live in a  continuing retirement community. Mom and Dad may live the rest of their days in the house they started off with when moving there, or any of the above-mentioned events can occur. However, instead of a dramatic and costly move, everything was paid in advance to prepare for the possible scenarios. Residents pay a down payment and as more services are needed, they just simply pay the higher fee instead of starting all over again.

Downfalls of transition

Given what I described above, you would think that things run smoothly. Unfortunately, (and this depends on how big the community is) things aren’t so cut and dry. For instance, Josie’s mother-in-law lives in one of these communities. The campus is  very large like that of a small university. There is a gate guard in front, apartments, assisted living, single-story houses, a hospital and community center with golf nearby. It’s a place a younger person wouldn’t mind living in. But that is where the downfall is: the size.

Her mother-in-law recently started wandering off and becoming forgetful. She lives by herself in the house she shared with her husband who passed away 3 years ago. With limited staff and I’m assuming what would be a costly move, there is no way that a community of that size can keep an eye on all of their independent residents. How could they determine when it was time for those residents to transition to the next step? Realistically, they can’t and that’s the problem. So what do you do? You can hire an independent geriatric manager to handle all of their affairs. You can hire someone to do a wellness check or pay extra for the facility. If money is a problem then you will have to make sure to keep an eye on things. What was the point of them moving then if you end up having to handle everything anyway? I know it can be frustrating, but unless the community is extremely well staffed and organized, it’s a fact of life.  Hopefully, you and your parents discuss plans for different transitions in life and you’ll be ready to spring into action once something happens no matter if they are at home or at a retirement community.

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