Where Should Mom Live?

By Laura Town and Karen Hoffman

This book provides information about living arrangements, services, and facilities available for older adults with changing health needs, as well as checklists to help you determine the living situation most appropriate for your loved one. Topics include:

•Helping your loved one maintain independence as long as possible
•Modifying your loved one’s home for safety and comfort
•Determining the need for home services and home health care
•Transitioning your loved one from their home to a caregiver’s home
•Understanding the pros and cons of moving your loved one into your home
•Preventing caregiver burnout
•Moving your loved one to an assisted living or full-time care facility
In addition, we will take a look at units that provide specialized care for memory problems and discuss what to do in the event that your loved one is placed in a psychiatric facility.

Balancing the best interest of an aging loved one with your abilities and resources can create stress and worry. Being prepared to make decisions about their care and housing in advance can help you focus your energy on your loved one and ease their transition from one living situation to another.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Laura Town
• Release date: Jan 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781943414109

Laura Town

Laura Town is an experienced author and editor who has contributed to many books for the academic, professional, and lay populations. Laura has written on a variety of topics of special interest to the aging population. She has expertise in the field of finance, and she has contributed to several online nursing courses and texts. Her work has been published by John Wiley and Sons and the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and she has also written for the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA). As an editor, Laura has worked with Pearson Education, Prentice Hall, McGraw-Hill Higher Education, John Wiley and Sons, and the University of Pennsylvania.Laura is the founder and president of WilliamsTown Communications, a company that creates educational courses and texts for publishers, universities, and non-profits. She is also the past president of the Indiana chapter of AMWA.

Book preview

Where Should Mom Live? Living Arrangements for Older Adults

By Laura Town and Karen Hoffman

Published by Omega Press

Zionsville, IN 46077

© 2020 Omega Press

While we have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this book has been obtained from reliable sources, Laura Town, Karen Hoffman, and Omega Press are not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. The information is provided as is without warranty of any kind. The information available in this book is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal, financial, or healthcare advice. You should contact your attorney, financial planner, or physician to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. In addition, Laura Town, Karen Hoffman, and Omega Press do not endorse any products mentioned in this book, nor do they assume any responsibility for the interpretation or application of any information originating from such content.

Production Credits:

Authors: Laura Town and Karen Hoffman

Publisher: Omega Press

Distributor: Smashwords

Photos: All images used under license from Shutterstock.com

Social media connections:

Laura Town

Twitter: @laurawtown

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauratown

Karen Hoffman

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/karen-kassel/62/2b/915/

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the authors.

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Staying at Home

Preserving Independence

Checklist: Helping preserve independence while living at home

Meals on Wheels and Other Meal Services

Checklist: Basics about the Meals on Wheels program

Home Modifications

Checklist: Home modifications for safety

Home Services

Checklist: Types of duties performed by home services

Checklist: When should my loved one start receiving home services?

Checklist: Questions to ask when hiring companion and homemaker services

Home Healthcare

Checklist: When to hire home healthcare

Checklist: What to look for when hiring home healthcare

Geriatric Care Manager

Checklist: What services do geriatric care managers provide?

Checklist: Signs you might need a geriatric care manager

Checklist: What to look for when hiring a geriatric care manager

Leaving Home

Checklist: Signs it is no longer safe for your loved one to live alone

Chapter 2: Moving in with a Caregiver

Checklist: Should my loved one move in with me?

Checklist: Pros and cons of moving in with a caregiver

Checklist: What are the roles of a live-in caregiver?

Checklist: Tips for maintaining independence when living with a caregiver

Caregiver Agreements

Checklist: Basics about a caregiver agreement

Checklist: Characteristics of a caregiver

Checklist: Information to include in a caregiver agreement

Checklist: Types of caregiver duties listed in a caregiver agreement

Caregiver Burnout

Checklist: Signs of caregiver burnout

Checklist: Respite care and adult day care

Chapter 3: Moving to Assisted Living

Checklist: Signs an independent living facility could be beneficial

Checklist: Services independent facilities often provide

Checklist: Questions to consider when looking for an independent living facility

Chapter 4: Moving to a Full-Time Care Facility

Checklist: Signs your loved one could benefit from a long-term care facility

Checklist: Services provided at full-time care facilities

Checklist: Questions to consider when looking for a full-time care facility

Memory Care Units

Checklist: Features of memory care units

Psychiatric Facilities

Checklist: Reasons your loved one may be placed in a psychiatric facility

Checklist: What to expect from a psychiatric facility

Checklist: Questions to ask when choosing a psychiatric facility

Elder Abuse in Care Facilities

Checklist: Signs of elder abuse

Checklist: Making a report of elder abuse

Checklist: Agencies for reporting elder abuse

Chapter 5: The Moving Process

Checklist: Easing the transition

Conclusion

About the Authors

Laura Town

Karen (Kassel) Hoffman

A Note from the Authors

More Titles from Laura Town and Karen Hoffman

Resources

Reference List

Omega Press Sample: How to Save Money on Healthcare

Introduction

Older adults account for a substantial and growing portion of the population. More than 47 million people aged 65 and older lived in the United States in 2015, accounting for nearly 15 percent of the total population. That number is expected to rise dramatically through 2030, with estimates suggesting that 74 million Americans—roughly 21 percent of the population—will fall into this group. This increase is due to the aging of the Baby Boom generation (individuals born between 1946 and 1964).

Today’s older adults have a longer life expectancy than their parents’ generation, but they still face many health-related challenges associated with age. Chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are widespread among older adults. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are also prevalent. The number of individuals affected by these conditions has increased over time and is expected to continue increasing in the future. Health conditions, as well as general age-related physical changes, may lead to difficulties with mobility, vision, hearing, and cognition. These difficulties often manifest in struggles with basic self-care and home care tasks like bathing, doing laundry, and cooking. Tasks such as these are often referred to as activities of daily living (ADL).

Income is also a concern for many older individuals, especially women and members of minority population groups. In addition, continued aging strains financial assets, and individuals 75 and older tend to be less secure than those between the ages of 65 and 75. Nutrition and healthcare may suffer when older adults face economic problems, as may the ability to secure adequate housing.

What all of this means is that caring for an aging loved one will be part of the future for many of us. One aspect of providing that care is assessing your loved one’s living arrangements and changing those arrangements over time. Most older adults want to live independently for as long as possible.