How to Help Seniors Transition to Long-Term Care Facilities
Caregivers who are making decisions about long-term care for seniors may be feeling the strain of the pandemic, as the current housing market is unstable. While it may seem a tricky time to make the choice to sell their home to pay for long-term care, it’s an important step to helping them get the proper help they need. Challenges aside, you can still sell a home right now, as long as you take advantage of technology and resources.
Choosing Options when Considering Long-Term Care for Seniors
If it’s time to consider long-term care options for your elderly or disabled loved one, be sure to research the full range of living situations available. Assisted living facilities are a great option for seniors who need help with daily tasks, such as taking medications, cooking, cleaning, and bathing. If your senior needs more constant medical care or they are in decline, a nursing home may be more appropriate.
However, if your senior loved one is still able to take care of many daily tasks on their own, an independent senior living community might be right for them. Independent senior living can still provide access to important amenities such as medical care while also offering entertainment and dining options in the facility.
No matter if you choose assisted or independent living, Cadbury Commons has a team of caring and compassionate professionals that you and your senior loved one can trust. Amenities for your loved one include opportunities for physical fitness, intellectual and artistic activities, and entertaining special events and trips.
Selling Your Loved One’s Home
It may be a difficult subject to broach with your loved one, but selling their home is a key step in helping them transition into a long-term care living situation. Once the decision has been made to move, caregivers should help their loved one choose which belongings to keep. Much of this will depend on what they can take with them to their new home; some long-term care facilities such as nursing homes have limits on how many personal items each resident can bring.
It can be a sensitive process to help someone let go of belongings, so be patient as you work with them to declutter. Start small, taking on just one room at a time, and limiting the cleaning process to just 30 minutes or an hour each time. Help them make decisions about selling versus donating, and suggest they pass family heirlooms down to younger family members.
How to Use Technology to Sell a Home During COVID-19
Once you’ve helped your senior declutter their home, it’s time to get it ready to sell. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s a good idea to explore virtual staging instead of hiring a company. Not only is it much easier than lugging furniture around the house, it’s much more affordable.
Find a real estate agent who is savvy with virtual showing options, such as 3D walk-throughs and video tours. Taking detailed photographs and offering live video tours is the safest way to show your elderly loved one’s home during COVID-19 and can save everyone time in the long run. By using online resources for showing your senior’s home, you can weed out the casual buyers and limit the number of times people enter your loved one’s home.
Safely showing a home during a pandemic
When you’re ready to have an in-person tour, ask your real estate agent to follow strict cleaning guidelines. Place hand sanitizer at the entrance, and ask every person touring the house to use it before entering. Require masks for all viewers, and request that they limit their time in the home and avoid touching surfaces and doorknobs. Be sure to maintain physical distancing, and thoroughly clean the home between showings.
Many long-term care facilities can be expensive, and the sale of your loved one’s home will help ensure there will be funds to cover their needs. While it may be a painful process for them to let go of their home, the peace of mind gained for both you and your senior will be worth the hardship. Use technology to help sell their home safely and efficiently, and lean on an experienced real estate agent to help you through the process.
By June Duncan – [email protected]
(Photo credit: Unsplash)
