March 16, 2018
This story is part of a joint project between myLifeSite and Senior Correspondent where people were asked to report on their senior living decision processes. So far, three Royal Oaks residents have submitted articles and Claudia Rumwell’s centers in on “it’s never too early.”
When my husband and I decided to embark on our fact-finding mission to learn about continuing care retirement communities (CCRC’s), our friends were perplexed. Weren’t we too young to think about this? None of them were thinking about it. They thought Mel and I were crazy to go to what they called an “old folks home.”
We had our reasons rooted in the experiences of our parents.
Let me take you back to the year 2000. Every six to eight weeks, I made trips to Spokane, Wash., from Portland, Ore., to visit my dad (age 82) and mother (78) who were having more health challenges. Over a 10-year period my trips increased to monthly as I advocated for their ever-changing health care needs. In partnership with my brothers, I facilitated their moves from their home to a retirement apartment; then to assisted living, stops at the hospital in between, and finally to extended care, where they lived together until 2008 when Dad moved into Heaven, with Mom joining him in 2011.
It was quite an experience. I (we) learned a lot. Advocating for and coordinating my parents’ care for those 10 years was the inspiration for the “Senior Care Organizer,” a hands-on caregiving and resource guide for managing senior care. In addition, I feel like I continue to honor my parents’ memory in my role as an educator as I provide presentations about senior care preparation.
Continue reading the story here.
