Archive for the ‘Assisted Living’ Category

Helping Your Loved One Prepare for a Move in Brooklyn

Tuesday, September 30th, 2014
prepare for a move in Brooklyn

Help your loved one prepare for a move in Brooklyn. Organize, clear clutter and make repairs.

by Charles D’Alessandro | Leave a Comment

This is the fourth in a series of blogs on caregivers, their loved ones and assisted living in Brooklyn.

In the previous blog post, Taking Care of the Caregiver, we focused on taking care of you, the caregiver. This blog post will focus on helping your loved one prepare for a move in Brooklyn.

It is clear that your loved one is no longer able to live independently on their own. You and your family have lovingly and carefully considered all housing and care options available to your loved one. In their best interest, you have decided to sell their home and move them in to live with others who will provide assistance and proper care. Now what? It’s time to organize, clear clutter, make repairs and prepare for a move in Brooklyn.

When someone lives in a home for many years, accumulation of stuff and clutter happens, a lot of it happens. Repairs need to be made. Now it’s time to sell, and all of a sudden the collection of stuff and so many repairs through all those years of living looms overhead like an enormous elephant! Is organizing, clearing clutter and making needed repairs to prepare for a move in Brooklyn overwhelming? Is it keeping you from getting started? Ask yourself this question, “What is the best way to eat an elephant?” The answer is, “One bite at a time.”

Professional help to prepare for a move in Brooklyn is available. However, if you choose to tackle the task alone, consider these very helpful suggestions:

  1. Sort stuff. Start small. Choose one area of the home. Try the kitchen counter or just one closet, for example. Do not move to another area until the area you are working on is finished.
    1. Grab boxes. Label them “Trash,” “Keep,” “Give Away” and “Urgent.” If something has not been used or thought about for the past 6 months, place it in the “Trash” box. This is the perfect time to “Give Away” collections. For example, share your loved one’s owl collection with those who have always admired the special owl collection.
    2. Do something with each of the boxes NOW! Throw the “Trash” boxes away NOW!File the “Keep” boxes or put this stuff where it belongs NOW! Share the “Give Away” boxes away NOW! Address the “Urgent” boxes NOW!  If you don’t do it “NOW,” you’ll be back at square one.
  2. Get help to determine what repairs must be made to your loved one’s Brooklyn home. Don’t worry about any repairs that do not need to be made. Hire an expert to make the repairs for the purpose of selling the home.
  3. Remove heavy window treatments. Allow sunlight to lighten and brighten the rooms of your loved one’s home. Consider hiring someone to add a neutral coat of paint to walls and trim.
  4. Lastly, hire a house cleaner. After organizing, clearing clutter and repairing is complete, treat yourself to professional housecleaning of your loved one’s Brooklyn home. Getting the whole house cleaned in just one day is very rewarding. This last step may convert you to organizing and clearing clutter in your own home regularly. It’s that rewarding!

If the need to help your loved one prepare for a move in Brooklyn has arrived, contact me, Charles D’Alessandro, your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate. Call (718) 253-9600 ext. 206 or reach me by email, [email protected].

 

Resources on Getting Organized –

http://www.napo.net/get_organized/how_to_hire.aspx

https://www.findmyorganizer.com/organize.b.507.g.34.html?professional_organizer_region=new+york&page=1

 

Recommended Reading –

Moving for Seniors: A Step-by-Step Workbook, Morris, B., 2001, Smooth Transitions.

 

Brooklyn/New York Senior Housing Options –

http://www.aplaceformom.com/assisted-living/new-york/brooklyn
http://www.seniorhomes.com/c/ny/brooklyn/assisted-living/

 

Copyright: joannsnover / 123RF Stock Photo

 

Taking Care of the Caregiver

Monday, September 15th, 2014

by Charles D’Alessandro | Leave a Comment 

caregiver

Care of the caregiver is an important part of the job

This is the third in a series of blogs on caregivers, their loved ones and assisted living in Brooklyn.

In the previous blog post, we focused on caregivers and relocating your loved one in Brooklyn. This blog post will focus on you, the caregiver.

  • Are you a baby boomer, a 50-something?
  • Are your kids graduating high school and/or college?
  • Are your kids unable to find jobs?
  • Did your parent’s caregiver take advantage of them and embezzle funds, lots of funds, from your parent?
  • Do you feel that everyone needs your time or that you are being pulled in all directions?
  • Does the money you earn keep flying out the door for emergencies or the unexpected financial needs of your kids and/or parents?

Do you wonder:

  • “When and how can I plan for my future?”
  • “How can I retire at 65?”
  • “Is it possible to save for retirement if I am taking care of everyone else?”
  • “Should I move my parents into an assisted living facility or move them in with us?”
  • “When is it going to be all about me?”

As a baby boomer who has taken on the weighty role of caregiver, you face a greater chance for sizeable health problems, such as:

  • depression (studies show that roughly 46 percent to 59 percent of caregivers are clinically depressed)
  • chronic illness (high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity)
  • possible decay in quality of life
  • even the possibility of an earlier death

Reports show that caregivers battle with:

  • sleep deprivation
  • poor eating habits
  • failure to exercise
  • failure to stay in bed when they are not well
  • scheduling and keeping medical appointments for themselves

Caring for your loved one can be an exceptionally fulfilling experience. It proves the enormous amount of love and commitment you have for your loved one. But caregiving can be an emotional roller coaster bringing with it enormous stress caused by exhaustion, worry, lack of resources and demands of nonstop care.

Because of the effects of caregiving, you MUST make time to practice preventive healthcare and routine self-care. Pay attention to your own health and well-being while managing all the responsibilities as a caregiver so that you are able to provide the effective care your loved ones need.

Remember, it is not selfish to pay attention to your own needs and desires as a caregiver. Taking care of the caregiver is an important part of the job.

  • Learn and use stress-reduction techniques
  • Attend to your own healthcare needs
  • Get proper rest and nutrition
  • Exercise regularly, if only for 10 minutes at a time
  • Take time off without feeling guilty
  • Participate in enjoyable, encouraging activities, such as reading a good book, taking a warm bath
  • Pursue and accept the help of others
  • Seek reassuring counseling whenever you need it or talk to a counselor, friend or pastor
  • Recognize and allow your feelings
  • Always look for the positive in every situation and change any negative views of situations that you may have
  • Set goals and celebrate each one you achieve

It’s up to you!

Moving your loved one into your home to live with everyone in your family may seem like the noble, loving, dutiful and right thing to do, but is it really in the best interest of your loved one, your spouse, your family and you? This decision is not an easy one to make.

If you have taken on the role of caregiver, and it is time to move your loved one into your Brooklyn home or into an assisted care facility in Brooklyn, contact Charles D’Alessandro, your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate, or call (718) 253-9600 ext. 206. You can reach me by email, [email protected], also.

 

Recommended Reading –

Moving for Seniors: A Step-by-Step Workbook, Morris, B., 2001, Smooth Transitions.

 

Brooklyn/New York Senior Housing Options –

http://www.aplaceformom.com/assisted-living/new-york/brooklyn
http://www.seniorhomes.com/c/ny/brooklyn/assisted-living/

 

More Resources –

Family Caregiver Alliance
785 Market Street, Ste. 750
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 434-3388
(800) 445-8106
Website: caregiver.org
E-mail: [email protected]

Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) seeks to improve the quality of life for caregivers through education, services, research and advocacy.

FCA’s National Center on Caregiving offers advice and information on current social, public policy and caregiving issues and provides assistance in the development of public and private caregiver support programs.

Family Care Navigator – FCA’s online directory of resources for caregivers in all 50 states. Includes resources for older or disabled adults living at home or in a residential facility, and information on government health and disability programs, legal resources, disease-specific organizations and more.

Article Resource: https://caregiver.org/taking-care-you-self-care-family-caregivers

Relocating Your Loved One in Brooklyn

Saturday, August 30th, 2014
relocating your loved one in Brooklyn

Is relocating your loved one in Brooklyn the best decision for them?

by Charles D’Alessandro | Leave a Comment

This is the second in a series of blogs on caregivers, their loved ones and housing for a loved one in Brooklyn.

In the previous blog post, we focused on caregivers and determining the best housing for a loved one in Brooklyn. This blog post will focus on relocating your loved one in Brooklyn.

Life happens. Our loved ones age. The diagnosis of a devastating disease is given. A chronic health issue appears. Frailty creeps in. A permanent injury caused by an accident changes daily life as we have known it. We don’t know if or when life will call upon us to take on the tremendous role of caregiver, but it is a likely reality that many of us will face. Have any of the following situations occurred with your loved one?

  • You visit your loved one and find their refrigerator is practically empty, their bills are unpaid and past due notices are accumulating, their house is a confusion of clutter
  • A concerned neighbor called to let you that your loved one was found walking aimlessly in the streets, unable to find home, the place where they have lived for the past 30 years
  • Your loved one has been forgetting to take their diabetes medications, greatly jeopardizing their health
  • Your very self-sufficient loved one fell. Their hip is broken, and they can no longer walk up or down the stairs in their home.

Occurrences like these may indicate trouble for your loved one due to Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or some other major change in their health. Reasons for these occurrences should be investigated. It may be time to consider relocating your loved one in Brooklyn.

Because relocating your loved one is a major life change for them and for those who love them, everything should be analyzed thoroughly. Get lots of advice. An outside counselor may help you in considering every possible issue regarding relocating your loved one in Brooklyn. Visit http://www.elderlawanswers.com/new-york-elder-law-attorneys/new-york for a list of New York attorneys specializing in elder law. They can help guide your family in estate and long-term care planning for your loved one.  Deciding to relocate your loved one is an important and challenging decision. When you are trying to decide whether relocating your loved one in Brooklyn is best for them or not, discussions with them and all others concerned is especially important. Encourage everyone to share their thoughts. This will help you make the best decisions for your loved one. Good communication and a strong support system are vital in the relocating process. Talk about your loved one’s:

  • possible living options, all of them
  • needed type of care
  • finances
  • relocation and the roles each person will take on
  • lifestyle changes and adjustments that will need to be made
  • new home and the location of their new home

What is expected and hoped for must be well defined and made very clear to everyone involved. Consider the level of care your loved one needs and all family issues, if there are any, to help direct your planning. Packing and moving is a major job for everyone at any age. But for the elderly who have lived in a home for many years with as many memories and possessions and who have developed strong ties to their community, family, friends, healthcare providers, social life and daily routine, relocating:

  • can be extremely difficult
  • can cause an enormous amount of sadness
  • denotes a tremendous emotional challenge
  • poses a decrease in independence
  • signals a new life stage

The thought of packing and sorting through history, memories and possessions may be overwhelming and delay relocating your loved one in Brooklyn. You may want to look into a company that specializes in organizing a move and arranges to sell or give away furniture and possessions that are no longer needed. They also help pack and unpack. Whether or not you choose to hire help, all involved play key roles in the relocating process. Keep the lines of communication open to help you move through each of the challenges relocating your loved one brings with it. If your loved one owns the home they are moving out of, consider renting it for these reasons:

  1. rent payments can help cover extra upcoming costs
  2. help pay for added care services
  3. offer certain tax benefits
  4. give your loved one more time to adjust to new living arrangements.

Selling the place they have called home for so many years can seem very final and can add a certain measure of anxiety to relocating to a new place. Give your loved one time to adjust to their new living arrangements. Patience and support will help relocating happen with a greater amount of ease.

Caregiving does not come free of challenges, but it does provide an extraordinary opportunity to give back what was once provided to you. Giving back that support and care to a loved one is one of the most rewarding experiences in life. Allow your loved one to talk of their past. Others will learn and enjoy actual living history that can only be read about in our history books.

If you have any questions about relocating your loved one in Brooklyn or wonder if renting or selling might be best for them, please contact me, Charles D’Alessandro Your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate, or call (718) 253-9600 ext. 206 for answers. You can reach me by email, [email protected], also.

 

Recommended Reading –

Elder Care Made Easier, Somers, M., 2006, Addicus Books.

How to Care for Aging Parents: A Complete GuideMorris, V., 2004, Workman Publishing.

Moving for Seniors: A Step-by-Step Workbook, Morris, B., 2001, Smooth Transitions.

The Essential Guide to Caring for Aging Parents, Rhodes, L., 2012. Alpha Books (Penguin Group).

 

FCA Fact Sheet – Downsizing A Home: A Checklist for Caregivers, https://www.caregiver.org/downsizing-home-checklist-caregivers

 

Senior Care, Housing Options Resources –

For great articles on illnesses and symptoms your loved one may be facing, visit

http://www.aplaceformom.com/senior-care-resources/articles

http://www.seniorhomes.com/

 

Brooklyn/New York Senior Housing Options –

http://www.aplaceformom.com/assisted-living/new-york/brooklyn

http://www.seniorhomes.com/c/ny/brooklyn/assisted-living/

 

More Resources –

Family Caregiver Alliance

785 Market Street, Ste. 750

San Francisco, CA 94103

(415) 434-3388

(800) 445-8106

Website: caregiver.org

E-mail: [email protected]

Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) seeks to improve the quality of life for caregivers through education, services, research and advocacy.

FCA’s National Center on Caregiving offers advice and information on current social, public policy and caregiving issues and provides assistance in the development of public and private caregiver support programs.

Family Care Navigator – FCA’s online directory of resources for caregivers in all 50 states. Includes resources for older or disabled adults living at home or in a residential facility, and information on government health and disability programs, legal resources, disease-specific organizations and more.

 

Article Resource: https://www.caregiver.org/preparing-for-caregiving

Copyright: iofoto / 123RF Stock Photo

Determining the Best Housing for a Loved One

Thursday, August 14th, 2014

by Charles D’Alessandro | Leave a Comment  

best housing for a loved one

Caregivers may need help determining the best housing for a loved one

This is the first in a series of blogs on caregivers, their loved ones and determining the best housing for a loved one in Brooklyn.

A caregiver is defined as one who provides support to a loved one who may be feeble from old age or disease, or who may not be as strong or as stable of mind as they once were. The list of care a caregiver provides is a long one. In this blog post we will focus on caregivers and determining the best housing for a loved one in Brooklyn.

Assisting or handling the real estate or housing needs of a loved one as their caregiver  is quite different from buying or selling a home for yourself.  When determining the best housing for a loved one in your care, it may help to consider the following:

  1. Pursue in-home support services and community services for their continued independence. If in-home support services and community services are needed and available, acquire them. The feeling of being independent is precious to a senior.
  2. Don’t do what your loved one is capable of doing for themselves. If they are able to pay their bills and cook their meals, let them. Allowing them to maintain as much of their independence as they can will make them feel better about receiving the care they now need from you.
  3. Unless they are not able to make decisions for themselves or their behavior could put others in danger, honor their right to make decisions about their life while they are able to.
  4. Provide them with the basic freedom of making choices. Allow them to choose where to live, what to wear or what to eat for dinner. The ability to make choices on their own may diminish over time. As their health declines, people dear to them pass away or finances start to tighten, the ability to communicate who they are through their choices will become harder for them to do.

To help you in determining the best housing for a loved one, present and discuss these questions with them:

  • What standard of living do you want for yourself?
  • What surroundings would you enjoy?
  • Is location important to you?
  • Would you like to be near family and friends, doctors, pharmacies, doctors offices, shopping, senior centers, a church and other comforts or conveniences?
  • Consider your current health situation. Do you need to look for a place with features that will allow you to move about easily?
  • Can you afford the cost of the type of housing you would like to live in?
  • Does the type of housing you like include in-home support services of any kind?
  • Are you eligible for publicly-funded or subsidized services such as Medicare or Medicaid?
  • Will the in-home support services that are available to you now be available in the future, also?
  • Have you included appropriate family members and friends in your decision making?
  • Have you determined the role others will have in making decisions for you and with you in the future?
  • Would you like to speak with an attorney to make sure that you understand your rights and get answers to any legal questions you may have?

The best housing for a loved one is the one that makes certain their health, social and financial needs are well taken care of and that their legal rights are protected.  Your ultimate goal should be to help your loved one enjoy independent living at home for as long as they possibly can. So, plan carefully, take good care of yourself and get informed about caregiving.

Senior Care, Housing Options Resources
For great articles on s illnesses and symptoms your loved one may be facing,visit

http://www.aplaceformom.com/senior-care-resources/articles
http://www.seniorhomes.com/

Brooklyn/New York Senior Housing Options –

http://www.aplaceformom.com/assisted-living/new-york/brooklyn
http://www.seniorhomes.com/c/ny/brooklyn/assisted-living/

If you have any questions about determining the best housing for a loved one or wonder if selling and relocating might be best for them, please contact me,  Charles D’Alessandro Your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate, or call (718) 253-9600 ext. 206 for answers. You can reach me by email, [email protected], also.

 

Photo Copyright: alexraths / 123RF Stock Photo