Senior Housing Advice with Christine Sevier

 Searching for suitable senior housing in your golden years can feel like walking through a maze. Navigating the care system to find a suitable home that meets the individual's needs and is easy on the wallet can be daunting. However, a thorough team and a senior living advisor will ease this process. Sometimes, the necessity for additional support may arise unexpectedly, creating a series of questions ranging from practical concerns to soul-searching life thoughts such as "Have I made reconciliation with a person I wish to forgive?" Or "Did I accomplish my sense of purpose?" 

 In this interview, Jim Freeman of Silver Bridge Senior Transitions interviews senior placement professional Christine Sevier to discuss her awe-inspiring journey into helping seniors. In this video, she covers critical information that benefits both the senior and the caregiver. She emphasizes the importance of a one-time move into a senior living arrangement. For example, a senior who needs to hand off maintenance and cooking may opt for independent living. However, if Alzheimer's runs in the family, Christine advises finding a community with memory care. A one-time move ensures there will not be a second and potentially disruptive change. 

 Christine's journey to expertise began when her grandfather proposed that she join him in taking co-conservatorship of her grandmother, who was battling Alzheimer's. She lived just five blocks from them; the answer was a no-brainer. Like so many other caregivers, her life was already busy. Christine was raising a family and working as a mental health advocate for at-risk youth. Along the care-taking journey, Christine quit her job to take care of her grandparents full time. When her grandmother's health challenges surpassed Christine's ability, her journey into the world of elder care took a new turn, helping her to deeply understand the ins and outs, the costs, and the questions to ask upfront. 

 Her interview is a lesson in foolproof future planning for elder care. A service that provides a well-vetted team to help senior citizens find new housing can provide an incredible boon to the individual and their family via expert knowledge and an assessment of the whole human being to meet needs. Often, the experts have been caretakers themselves. Dealing with paperwork for CCRCs (Continuing Care Retirement Communities) and senior housing can take time and effort. This professional guidance can provide a sense of reassurance and a reminder that thoughtful care will be in place no matter where you or your senior loved one moves. As Christine puts it, "I certainly wouldn't buy a house without a realtor, and I certainly wouldn't go into a relationship or a contract with an assisted living or a memory care community without having appropriate representation and an advisor by my side that will help me ask those right questions."

 Christine urges all families, "You should go into this conservatively." Every senior care community charges differently. Some lock you into a contract that is costly to break. In many places, opting for month-to-month is wisest. Read the fine print and find a great team to support you. This emphasis on caution and care can help you avoid potential pitfalls and make informed decisions.