Would you prefer to age in place at home, a 55+ community, or other type of community setting?  Should your health decline, would you prefer to bring someone into the home to care for your needs or would you prefer to move to a community setting ?  Determine what your personal desires are and make them known to family and friends.

2. When are you considering hiring services or moving to a community?

While some communities have current availability, there are other communities in Lancaster that have over 5 year waiting lists and longer.  Once you determine what your personal desires are, be sure to start putting a plan into place for yourself.  Would you desire to move into a two bedroom cottage?  If so, consider placing your application on a waiting list.

3. How much can you afford to pay for services?

You may often hear that in-home care is half the cost of long term care in a nursing home.  This is not always the case!  You may be paying $432 for around-the-clock care at home opposed to $250 per day in a nursing home.  Make an informed decision for yourself regarding the care that is needed and desired by the individual and his or her family.

4. Who can you turn to for trusted advice and further direction?

Make sure you have good trusted relationships formed with your children and other trusted relatives and friends, your attorney, financial planner, and geriatric care manager.  These professionals can often provide you and your family with further direction as it pertains to planning ahead for the potential need for long term care.

5. Are you aware of ALL options available to you in your community?

In-home care and retirement communities are NOT the only options available to you.  Adult day services, medication devices, emergency call systems, home renovations, and therapy are just a few of the many options out there that may be available to your loved one.  Additionally, explore all of the funding options that may help subsidize the cost of care.

Ask your loved one who, what, when, and where questions and show a sincere interest by showing them that you are interested in what they are trying to tell you.  Perhaps they want to see their brother, but he has since passed.  Rather than creating anxiety and sadness by telling them that their brother passed away, ask them what they miss about their brother?  What did they enjoy doing most with him?

Any individual, senior or child, one with memory loss or cognitive ability need validated…they need accepted and acknowledged as a human being.  Naomi File is the founder of the Validation Technique.  View this incredible video with Naomi and Gladys Wilson.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrZXz10FcVM I hope you have gained as much from this video as I have!  Please feel free to share your own experiences and leave a comment.

There are many services available in the home from live-in care, companion care, medical care, and even behavioral care.  In addition, there are many forms of technology out there, in turn, keeping seniors safer in their homes longer.

Do you have a contingency plan in place?  Should your loved one need long term care, are you aware of ALL of the options out there?  Do you grasp how long waiting lists are these days?  Are you aware of what financial resources are available to help subsidize the costs of long term care at home or in a retirement setting?  And, does  your loved one meet the financial qualifications required by the community of preference?

While many individuals want to age in place (and that is a realistic possibility), it is important to make sure your loved ones are not on the borderline of qualifying for a community of their choice.  If they are close to not qualifying now and assets are tapped into for in-home care, a few months from now, they will likely not qualify. EDUCATION and having a plan in place needs to be the #1 priority!

You may have asked all of the right questions and are ready to make the final decision about which retirement community is the right one for you.  But first, you want to see if you can really call this community home.  Walk around and see how you feel…

• Sit on the bed and living room furniture.  Are you comfortable?
• Could you call this community ‘home’?
• Do you feel safe?
• Do you have similar interests to that of the other residents?
• Are you comfortable talking to the staff?

With there being over 60 retirement housing options in Lancaster County alone, make sure that you are taking a look at more than one community, asking all of the right questions, and seeing which community you feel most comfortable with.

If there are questions that you feel are important to ask the retirement community, please share a comment for others to read.

Now that you may have had the opportunity to take a look at the community and listen as to what is going on at the community, now it is time to sit down, have a meal, and ask a few more questions…

• Take a tour of the community of your choice over the lunch hour and see if you like the food, atmosphere of the dining room, and food selection.
• Are there options to choose from at each meal?
• Does the community accommodate special diets (diabetic, low salt, low potassium, etc.)?
• Who monitors individuals’ diets?

After an individual moves in to a community, many may or may not complain about the food and dining selections.  Be proactive, sit down, relax, have a meal and see for yourself if you are comfortable with the community’s dining experience.

Do you have enough money saved for retirement?  Start planning ahead now by setting aside money for retirement and considering Long Term Care Insurance so that all of your assets are not depleted on Long Term Care, but on things you enjoy!

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the average costs in the U.S. (in 2009) are:

• $198/day for a semi-private room in skilled nursing
• $3,131/month for care in a Personal Care Home (for a one-bedroom unit)
• $19/hour for Homemaker services
• $21/hour for a Home Health Aid
• $67/day for care in an Adult Day Health Care Center

Do you have enough saved to support these expenses at retirement?  Click here to see what you need to save for retirement.

You have an idea of what the community looks like and now it is time to listen.  Is what you hear pleasing to the ear?

How are staff members communicating with the residents?  Are they compassionate or demanding?

Do the residents seem to be enjoying themselves or are you hearing a lot of complaints? (Ask a few of the residents about their experiences at the community…they are usually more than willing to share their experiences with you)

Are staff members introducing themselves to you?

Does the community view themselves as a ‘facility’ or a ‘community’?

Using your five senses when touring a community can be a great way to determine whether or not each community fits your idea of “home”.  First, I would ask you how the community looks.  While this is important, please keep in mind that the appearance of a community does not always reflect the quality of care, so stay tuned for using your other senses.

• Do you like the décor?
• Is the community a place that looks like you could call it “home”?
• Do residents appear to be happy and/or content?
• Do residents look like they are receiving quality care?
• Is it apparent that housekeeping takes care of dusting, vacuuming, and cleaning rooms as well as main areas?
• Is the staff interacting with residents or do you see the staff sitting around while time passes by?
• What types of amenities are available for your use (pool, fitness room, therapy room, etc.)?
• Does it look like there are a variety of activities going on?
• Does the community look inviting or more institutional?
• Does the community have outdoor premises or walking trails?