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I worked with the adult child of an elderly couple who lived out of state. Their ages were in the late 80’s and mid-90’s. nineties. One parent had recovered from lung cancer surgery and was operating at 85% of normal capacity. The other parent had a diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) and was expected to decline rapidly in the upcoming over the next 6 months. Upon meeting the parents, I was delighted to find two happy seniors who were functioning (at this point) at the independent living level. However, the parent with Lou Gehrig’s disease needed to use a feeding tube at mealtimes (and mealtimes only). The parent was taking care of the feeding tube with no assistance. Otherwise, the parent walked freely without it.

At the request of the couple’s child, I completed a comparison of every Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) near the northwest side of Chicago, and the western suburbs of Chicago, with my client’s the child’s wish being that mom and dad they would be admitted to independent living. The problem I ran into was since independent living is unlicensed, the only help the couple could obtain in an emergency would be to call to 911. They were not in need of any of the services provided in assisted living. Since maintenance of a feeding tube is a skilled service, it could not be taken care of in an area that was licensed for assisted living. Last, none of the skilled nursing homes within the CCRCs could provide a ventilator, which was a service the parent may need down the road.

So, what did I do? I knew the child of the seniors owned a condominium right in the midst of downtown Chicago where mom and dad they could attend the plays they so deeply loved, as well as enjoy a lovely view of the Chicago skyline. I suggested that the child hire me as the parents’ Geriatric Care Manager and move them to the condo downtown. I would arrange for a housekeeper, licensed non-medical home care agency and eventually a medical home care agency (nurse) to take care of their needs as their health declined. Since the funds were available, in this case, staying “home” made sense.

Approximately 40 million Americans today are caring for an elderly loved one. Are you one of them? The demands of caring for an elderly loved one along with your own family can be physically and psychologically challenging. If you are employed, the additional responsibility of becoming a family caregiver might not be feasible for your schedule. In addition, the role reversal experienced between the “adult-child caregiver” and the elderly parent can lead to resentment and stress. If you must relinquish caregiving responsibility, the question ultimately becomes, “Should I place my loved one in a long-term care community or hire someone to help care for him/her at home?

This question is continually asked of me and often causes controversy among the families that I serve. My goal is to find the best answer and every situation is different. In the nine years that I have offered my senior living services, no two cases have ever been exactly alike. However, when a senior is still capable of making his/her own decisions, s/he almost always wants to remain in the home as long as possible. The only exemptions to the rule are if a senior is lonely and wants the social benefits of being in a community or medical issues no longer allow the senior to remain in the home, or s/he can no longer afford the luxury of in home care. Placement in a community is often the second choice to remaining in the home and normally arises when the senior is exhausting his/her funds. However, caution needs to be taken with this strategy as many nursing homes require a year or even two years of private pay before a person is admitted. This insures against the immediate filing of a Medicaid application, which can entail months for a long-term care community to receive reimbursement (from the state) for a resident’s care.

If you have a senior loved one who may need some help with the activities of daily living in the future, ballpark figures (based upon national averages) for non-medical home care and long-term care community costs are listed below to assist in making your decision:

Great FREE seminar coming up to discuss the overwhelming decisions that everyone will need to make one day regarding their or their family’s real estate, senior housing, financial and estate matters. Leave feeling better prepared to assist those you care for to make a successful transition into senior living! I was pleased to have been invited to speak at this event offered through the Lyons Township Adult and Community Education Program. It will take place at the Lyons Township High School – South Campus – 4900 S. Willow Springs Road, Room B115, Western Springs, Il. The date is Tuesday October 8, 2013, from 7:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M. If you would like to attend, please call Andrea Donovan Senior Living Advisors..

I have been reading a number of articles that sing the praises of senior move management companies. During the past several years there has been a huge influx of people entering into this aspect of the senior living industry. These organizations don’t act as the actual movers. They are actually general contractors who will hire the moving company, sort out which items the senior will take to their new home, and donate the excess items to charity.

As a senior living advisor who has been in the business for seven years, I know which organizations are reputable. pleas be advised that there is currently no organization who grants accreditation to these organizations and there is no “good housekeeping seal of approval.” I encourage you to do your due diligence in researching these organizations lest you have an experience like the one I will relate in my Real Life Story.

Real Life Story

I attained the designation of Certified Care Manager issued through the National Association of Certified Care Managers. I can help by acting as a neutral third party when difficult family issues involving a senior arise and connect people with appropriate medical and non-medical services.

Here are some of the services that I generally provide in order to assist the families of seniors:

1. I meet with the senior and their family in order to perform an assessment of the senior’s cognitive and functional capabilities. I also assess his/her physical environment and support systems.

I was recently contacted to conduct a placement for a gentleman who has alcoholic dementia, also known as Wernicke-Korsakoff’s syndrome. The affect of years of chronic alcohol abuse causes loss of short-term memory. The disease usually affects men between the ages of 45-65 who have a history of heavy drinking. The disease affects women too, and the age group is normally younger than men.

You can’t actually diagnose the disease until after the individual quits drinking for a period of several weeks so that the affects of intoxication or withdrawal can subside. Normally, a number of tests will follow including those that are medical and psychological. If the condition continues to worsen, a diagnosis of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s may follow.

When you are faced with a crisis situation, like the instance I will share in my Real Life Story,

Intermediate care is a level of nursing care available for those seniors who are in need a little bit more care than what is provided in assisted living communities. Yet, it provides a level of are that is lower than what is provided in a skilled nursing home. Here is a brief explanation of what each level provides to the senior:

Assisted living – The senior needs help with his/her activities of daily living (ADLs) meaning bathing, dressing, walking, toileting, transferring, and eating. The care is normally standby assistance. However, hands on care is available at some communities for an additional charge.

Intermediate care – The senior needs hands on help with some of his/her activities of daily living and needs 24 hour supervision with a nursing home staff present. S/he doesn’t require skilled nursing care yet.