Finding the Right Assisted Living Facility

After finding out that we could afford an assisted living facility for my aunt (thanks to the veterans widow benefits) I faced the problem of how to find and select one. Since we were moving from Ashland, Oregon to Portland, Oregon, I was not familiar with our new destination. The wonderful women at Care Options Resources (who did the paper work for our veterans application) suggested I call Golden Placements. They explained that they are two women who have a business that specializes in helping families find an appropriate placement for their loved one. They offer their services free of charge to the family and receive a payment from the facility that the family chooses. A real win, win for everyone. Well, these two delightful people are really angels dressed up like ordinary women. Cherie became our go to person and she started the process by interviewing me thoroughly about my aunt. Asking what things she like, disliked, her body size, her personality traits, her interests, and on and on. It was so impressive to me that they were really interested in a good match. So, I traveled to Portland when they had lined up 4 facilities for me and my daughter to look at. As Cherie accompanied us through the apartments, dining rooms, beauty shops and all the various services that were offered, she asked very good questions of the staff, and pointed out things to us that we may have overlooked. After a long day, we finally chose a place for Aunt Ruth, and made the deposit. You will have to wait until tomorrow to find out where Auntie is living now, but I want to emphasize the fantastic service we received from Golden Placements. Go to www.goldenplacement.com to learn more about this respectful, helpful, nearly life saving business.

Financial Assistance for Widows of Veterans

Yesterday I told you that my 99 year old aunt agreed to move to Portland with me. So, during the months to sell my house I kept exploring possible housing ideas for her. We had thought I would make enough from the sale of my home to buy something in Portland that would have a mother-in-law unit or some kind of separate living quarters for her at my new place. Well, the real estate market did not cooperate with me, and my home sold for much less than we had expected. My auntie lives on social security, so there were really no funds for us to pay for an assisted living facility. I applied to many HUD funded senior apartments, but the waiting list was one to five years! That could be a deal breaker for a 99 year old! So, through a very kind person who works for a high end Senior Retirement facility, I found an amazing, life saving organization. It is called Care Option Resources in Portland, OR. www.careoptionsresources.com When I called them to ask for any ideas about adequate housing for my dear elder, they asked me the question "Was she married to a Veteran?" And I told them yes, she was, and he had passed about 10 years ago. They asked some more questions about her income, health needs, etc. And, the good, actually GREAT news, is that it looked like she was eligible for financial assistance for housing. And the amount would be around $1000 a month! I could hardly hold back the tears of joy when I heard this. With her social security, and this assistance, she could live in an assisted living facility and be very well taken care of.

Care Options does the paper work, and of course with the government, there are stacks of it. They charge a very reasonable fee for this, and I would have paid twice the amount for the service. I want to share this information with as many people as I can, as this is not well known and I think of all the men and women who could have lived in a much more secure and healthy place had they been aware. I am sure that there are other non-profit organizations like Care Options in other states. You might contact them to get some referrals.

OK................more of the moving adventures tomorrow.

Karen

Moving During Retirement Years

One year ago, I wrote that I had my house for sale and I was planning to move out of town. that was sometime ago, so I will refresh your memory. I am retired, and realized that I really wanted to spend this last third of my life closer to my daughter and my family. I have lived in beautiful Ashland Oregon for nearly 40 years now, so it was a big decision. Well, now I am living in Portland, Oregon and am so happy that I decided to go ahead with it.

In the 14 months that my home was on the market, (yep, 14 long months) I learned so many things about moving as an older person, (not ancient, older.............) and in the next few weeks I would like to share those things with you. The emotional, physical, and spiritual sides of us will be effected by this huge change. Oh, in case you forgot, I also moved my 99 year old aunt. I asked her of course if she was interested and she, like me, wanted to be closer to loved ones for whatever time she has left. So, along with all my personal growth, pain, joy and new understandings, I got to look into the world of Senior Assisted Living, and all that goes along with that.

So, stay tuned my friends, more on the move of Karen and Ruth to the Rose City!

How To Find the Perfect Canine Companion

I recently wrote about pets, dogs specifically,and how they can help older adults maintain good physical and mental health. And finding the right dog is critical to the relationship being a positive experience. Many people get swept away with a dogs beauty, or maybe they have seen the latest movie with a very cute pup in it, or any number of ways to be influenced. But, the reality is that the beautiful Border Collie that is herding the sheep in the field, will not be a happy camper living in an apartment, with a person who cant give it a job or lots of vigorous exercise. And the majestic Husky does not fit into the Florida condo life style. so, you see what I mean. Do your home work before you make this decision. See what temperment comes with different breeds, what about short hair v. long hair. As I get older, smaller dogs are better for me, when it is necessary to pick them up. I have found the very best place to go to adopt pets are the rescue organizations. They get to know the dogs, help fit them with the right person, and besides that, you would be saving a life, and discouraging practices like puppy mills. All of my pets have been rescue animals, and I have been blessed with many wonderful years of enjoyment with them. One dog in particular came from www.dogsforthedeaf.org Emily was a combo of Golden Retriever and Cocker Spaniel. Dogs for the Deaf is a non-profit who trains assistance dogs for people with hearing loss. Well, Emily was a pooch who really didn't want to work that hard, but loved people, so she became a "career change" dog and I adopted her. I put her through the Therapy Dog training and when she was certified she went to my office in the hospital where I worked, and greeted and calmed people in crisis. When I retired she did too, and lived until last year when sadly she passed away. There are other wonderful places in my Southern Oregon area to find such wonderful dogs. www.fotas.org is the adoption center of the local animal control division, run mostly by faithful volunteers that can help you choose a dog. www.southernoregonhumane.org is our branch of The Humane Society, a dedicated group of people to assist you in making a choice. And www.sanctuaryone.org is a Sanctuary for abused and neglected animals of all kinds, including dogs. I mention this organization because of the wonderful volunteer opportunities. And if you are not ready, or are unable to take on a dog, simply volunteering with them is a way to find great joy.

I was really amazed at how much more I got from my pets when I retired. Getting to spend more time with them has certainly helped my mental and physical health. I highly recommend it!

Dogs and Their Retired People

One of the things I have enjoyed since retiring, is observing what goes on in my neighborhood during the week days. In the past 5 delicious years of retirement, I have watched people walking on my street with their dogs. I live in a neighborhood that has wonderful hiking trails, and quiet streets that makes it feel rural, even though it is 3 minutes to the Ashland Plaza. Consequently, this makes my Strawberry Lane neighborhood a favorite for dog walkers. What I have noticed is that over this 5 year period, some of the older dogs have passed on to pooch heaven and then for a time, the grieving person has walked alone. But, not much time passed before a new dog is on the walk. As I thought about this, I realized the importance of having a dog in ones life, and how these "walkers" were mostly retired people and they must feel the same way.

I am not the only one who believes in the benefit of canine companionship. A study in the Journal of The American Geriatrics Society (May 1999) says that seniors that have a pet have better physical health and mental well being than those who don't. They are more active, (dogs need a walk), and they cope with stress better (physical contact with a dog lowers blood pressure). There are many other benefits as well.

Some people may prefer another pet to a dog, but for me, there is nothing like the love and companionship of a pooch. So, I will close now, as my buddy Max, who is a combo of Corgi, Jack Russel, Beagle, and who knows what else, is reminding me that it is time to go for a walk!

Later I will give you some good ideas about adopting dogs, or having contact with them if adoption is not timely for you.

Veranda Park Retirement Community, Medford Oregon

Veranda Park Retirement Community, Medford Oregon
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck

Southern Oregon is home to some of the country's finest retirement facilities, and last month my parents and I toured one of the area's nicest and newest communities - Veranda Park in Medford, Oregon.

I'd hoped to have a detailed account of our tour online by now but that didn't happen yet, so please stay tuned for a more detailed description of Veranda Park. We'll also be featuring some other Oregon Retirement communities over the coming months.

For the most detailed treatment of your Oregon Retirement options, see our website Oregon Retirement

Telescope Eye Implant for Macular Degeneration

In an incredible advance in the field of high tech medicine, an eye implant is now being used to fight macular degeneration, a significant eye disease that affects millions of people - mostly seniors.

Although the implants do not reproduce normal vision, they have been improving vision by about two eye chart lines for about 90% of the test cases.

The FDA continues to review the technology but it is now available to many.

More from the Washington Post

Seniors adopting Social Media ... fast

A new study by PEW Internet Research suggests that seniors use of social media has recently almost doubled in only the past year - from 22% to 42% of seniors using social media networking.

This appears to be consistent with the "adoption curves" of other groups, it's just happening a bit later for the senior crowd.

http://www.pewinternet.org/Press-Releases/2010/Older-Adults-and-Social-Media.aspx

Selling My Home of 40 Years

Talk about change! Well let me tell you that getting into the whole huge process of selling a home that you have had for nearly 40 years is no small thing! It has required many different steps that I have started and have many steps to go as it has not sold yet. As I have mentioned previously, my retirement plans changed over night. I really thought I would live the rest of my life in this wonderful house, nurturing the gardens every year to become more and more fruitful. But change is upon me, so I got on the real estate bandwagon to move onward. First thing I realized is that I wanted to list my home with a real estate agent. In years past it has been easy to buy and sell as an owner for investment or other needs. However, I think the role of agents has become more important in that they really protect us as the laws seem to expand and change and become more and more complicated. So, if you are in this place of buying or selling, it is a good idea to interview some agents until you find the one that you are in sync with. I talked to three different brokers, all very qualified and people I actually had known for years. but I finally chose one of the owner/principle brokers of Ashland Homes. Their website is www.ashland_homes.com and if you go to our site www.oregonretirement.info there are many other real estate companies listed in Ashland Oregon, my home town.

This is just the beginning of this experience, and believe me when I say that the emotions that come up, the frustration, financial concerns, and physical exhaustion are all part of the pie. I will explore more of these things with you in days to come, but right now I need to mop my kitchen floor, because when your house is listed, it must be ready to show it's best at any given moment! Not what I thought I would be doing as a retiree!

Dealing With Change Continued

Yesterday I told the beginning of my story about how retirement plans can change in a heart beat. As you saw in yesterday's blog, my daughter had a near death accident. This made look my priorities square in the face and see clearly what I wanted to do. What I wanted, needed in fact, was to spend this last one third of my life living much closer to my daughter and the rest of my family. When this was decided, I realized there was just one barrier that I would have to figure out. You see, I have a 98 year old aunt who lives here in Ashland, Oregon too. She lives independently, and for the most part does really well. However, she still needs my assistance in many ways. So, I realized I could not move to Portland, Oregon where my daughter lives, without taking my aunt with me. So, that is what I decided to do. I was not sure how she would take my invitation to pull up stakes here and move North, however, in her usual positive, enthusiastic way, she said "I think that is a wonderful idea!". Now here is a senior, who even at her advanced age, is full of life and adventure and willing to change. I have to admit, that her willingness to do this, helped me see how change is not so difficult after all. I stepped back from myself and saw how easy it had been in the 4 years I had been retired, to become very complacent and so comfortable that I was not challenging myself in many ways. Leave it to my 98 year old Aunt Ruth to show me the error of my ways.
So the next step was to list my house for sale. I also wanted to see what was available in Portland. I have gone to www.oregonretirement.info to get information on real estate and many other things that I need to research for my big adventure. There is a lot more to share with you as this whole process unfolds. Every day a new feeling, worry, question, or doubt shows up. It is not just a slam dunk and all is well. But, I am learning and I will share my lessons with you as the days go on.