Something For Palo Alto Seniors To Think About

Today I pulled into my Midtown Palo Alto driveway around 2:30. Like most of the homes in midtown there is only a one car garage, and after you put the washer and dryer in it there is no room for a car. Most people park in their driveways, which today was very fortunate.

When I opened my car door my neighbor from across the street called out "Marcy I need help!" His garage door was open and I ran across the street. Ed was lying on his kitchen floor after falling in the driveway and crawling back to the house. Quite a feat for this feisty 88 year old man. His wife Char was out shopping and he had been alone on the floor for about an hour.

I called 911 who showed up in less than 10 minutes and took him to Stanford. Char came home and I drove her to Stanford. She was shaking and obviously quite upset. As we drove over she said, I guess we will have to move now.

I don't know. Ed's hip is broken and he will have surgery. I don't know if they will be able to maintain their independent life style or not. I do know they have not made contingency plans.

I also know that moving from a home of 20-40 years into assisted living is a huge step. Decisions should be made carefully as the options are varied. It takes careful planning and a lot of input from family and financial advisers to make the best decisions. Buy or rent? Nursing home or continuing care? A program with steps of care? How many meals per day? Who are the doctors? How much does it cost? What city? Should you stay close to home or go to where your kids are? What do you do if you have pets?

I also know that making that decision during a crisis is not ideal. While many people say the only way they are leaving their home is in a wooden box, that is not always the case. Sometimes life changes in a heartbeat and you need to go some place to get some help even though you may be years from that wooden box.

So if you are reading this, or if you have parents that are in this position, please think about what you want to do if you need more help than you can get living at home. The choices are varied, so investigate carefully, and hopefully you will be able to make this decision methodically and not while you are in a crisis and forced to do something immediately.

Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
650-619-9285
D.R.E. 01191194