When is the time to get help with aging parents? When do you know it is time for them to move into assisted living? How do you plan for a smooth transition and get mom or dad in the right place that fits them? The above questions are just a few questions many adult children ask about their parents. How do they help without causing a big argument or fuss? With over 20 years of experience as a senior living advocate, we can help you with the right path and choices for your aging parents.

4 Reasons to Hire a Senior Living Advocate

1. Experience Makes the process Fast and Easy

A senior living advocate, like myself, knows the geographical area in Connecticut and New York, and helps make the process move along smoothly. With a background in senior care and connections with facilities, social workers, doctors and so on, an advocate can make sure that you are looking at the right kind of care. Advocates assist you with a personal assessment to make sure you do not waste time or money getting the right choices in front of you to choose from. 

2. Save Money

Having an experienced senior advocate can help you save time and money. You do not need to make countless trips to visit and check out living communities that could be miles away. Your senior advocate can help you with an easy pre-screen assessment to make sure you are looking at senior living communities with amenities that are important to your aging parents. You need someone who can do the legwork for you and that is exactly how a senior living advocate can save you money. In addition to helping you find the right location, senior living advocates can help you downsize the content of your parents home. They are experienced to help you keep what is necessary for the next stage of living while allocating the rest to family or community. 

3. Make the Process Natural and Not Demeaning

Depending on your loved one’s physical and cognitive abilities, advocates get your loved one involved so the process seems like they are in charge of the next changes in living and not feeling forced or just put out of the way. Moving is stressful in itself, so when you add aging or loss of a loved one or even just change in ability to keep up with day to day, it can be very difficult to make the decisions and not feel overwhelmed or stressed. Having an advocate can be a third party that keeps your aging parent involved and also feeling a bit in charge of the changes. It is important that through the process they continue to feel self purpose. 

4. Emotionally Prepare Seniors 

As mentioned above, moving is stressful and downsizing and moving is even more stressful. Having an experienced senior advocate that can help you feel safe and secure in your decision to change your living arrangements is a big plus. Senior advocates do the work and they help every step to make sure your aging parents feel loved and connected and are moving to a new place that fits their needs. 

Making changes in your parents’ living arrangement is HUGE. Having an experienced senior living advocate that helps you and knows what to do to make it the best transition in living is amazing.  If you have more questions or concerns about your aging parents contact Ann Jamison at Senior Living Options. Ann is experienced with aging adults and how to find the best living arrangements for your parents at each chapter of the aging process. She has been a caregiver and has expert advice to help you have a positive experience while helping mom or dad move to the next chapter of living a full and purposeful life.

Author: Ann Jamison

Ann Jamison is an experienced senior advisor who has successfully worked with hundreds of families to help them find the best care and home-like environment for themselves or their loved ones. Prior to launching Senior Living Options, Ann was an eldercare advisor for a national placement agency and served as sales director at a senior living community. Thanks to her 25-year career in advertising sales and marketing, Ann is able to discern between hype and reality for her clients. Ann recognizes that there are objective factors that need to be weighed when making a life-changing decision, but she can also assess the important softer attributes by getting to know her clients and by using the gut instincts that can only come through extended experience.