How do I find a home for Mom when she needs more help than I can give?

Today’s guest of the Rock Your Retirement show was Sydney Kennedy.  She specializes in answering the question, “How do I find a home for Mom?”.  Sydney immigrated to the USA in 1987 and worked with animal causes in fundraising and development.  She has experience developing conferences and workshops for UCSD CONNECT (and Sydney and I have a connection here that you can learn about by listening to the show).  In 2006 started devoting her time, knowledge, and experience to Elder Care and senior housing.

As a Certified Senior Adviser (CSA) she is well equipped to assist families:

* Find a home for Mom

* Understand the difference between referral and placement

* Assess the needs of the family

* Take into consideration including health status

* Assumed future health status based on current condition

* Assess the financial parameters of the family including Long Term Care Insurance, Veterans Benefits and other programs

* Understand the geographical needs of the family

* consider family involvement or potential lack therof in assessing where the family member should be placed

* Understand that important background and other interests such as:

* Places to gather such as Pubs or coffee shops inside the community

* Gaming groups for socialization such as bridge groups or card groups

* Other background that is important

We also discussed how someone would avoid pitfalls when they need to find a home for mom and simplify the process when you need to find a home for mom or other loved one.

These services are typically free to the family since the communities will pay (similar to a travel agent or realtor).

Senior Housing Experts often can provide referrals that will help your loved one stay in their own home as long as possible.   Additionally, a CSA can save you time by considering the following:

* Do you need a community that is specifically designed for wheelchairs?

* What is your budget? Can you afford the community?

* Reputation of the community

* Government reports – how to zero in on the information the family needs to know

* Caregiver training and temperament

* Board and Care versus Assisted Living and Nursing Homes

* Special considerations for Dementia

* Concussions and how they relate to Dementia

The family makes the final decision, but it’s nice to have someone that holds your hand, especially when the family is in crisis.

Sydney has some personal experience with Dementia and is involved in that community. Her mom is in assisted living in Canada and she told us her story. She also told us a few other stories that showed us why it’s important to watch out for our seniors.

Mentioned in the show:

* CSA – Certified Senior Advisor

* San Diego Dementia Consortium

* UCSD CONNECT

* Lisa Woodruff, professional organizer (break) Organize 365

* Fiduciary

* Therapy Dogs

* Freebie: http://RockYourRetirement.com/seniorliving

Sydney’s contact information:  www.