Be Prepared, Part II

Part I of the Be Prepared blog posts talked about readiness for emergencies, particularly in light of the heightened flood awareness for the Green River Valley this winter. In fact, I attended a Senior Adult Resource and Preparedness Fair in the Meadowbrook region of north Seattle, at which a variety of good information was presented.

This blog, however, addresses both prospective residents and adult children of prospective residents when it comes to planning for your future place to live.

Personal experience over the past six or eight weeks has shown me how situations can change suddenly. When one of my parents went in for heart surgery, we expected that a full and speedy recovery would be made since the health going into surgery was very good for an 85-year old. The operation was textbook; the recovery has not been. In fact, instead of being able to be discharged to home, a long-term stay in a nursing home was the next step, going on five weeks. It has become apparent that they will not be able to live in the family home after discharge since care will be needed post-discharge.

As much as my siblings and I thought we had planned for many of our parents' eventualities, this was one that caught us by surprise. In hindsight we should have opened the discussion five years ago about where our parents would land when they could no longer manage their house. After several visits, a lot of conversations, soul-searching and heart-searching, and shopping for assisted living, we have been able to locate a place where they can will be able to get the care that they will need, at least for the near future. And we have been able to buy a little time to.......Be Prepared for whatever may be their next move.

This is background information to the following remarks.

It is never too early to shop for a place to live, whether for yourself or for a loved one. While you have the physical, mental, and emotional health (and time) to do the legwork, that is the best time for you to.....Be Prepared. Because certainly, if you are not prepared while you are still able to choose, at some point the choice of a place to move may have to be made by someone other than yourself.

SHAG has a ton of housing options for seniors who are able to live independently. Our Discovery Center in the Rainier Valley, just north of Columbia City, is set up and prepared for you to come for a visit to learn about our communities. We have vacancies in several communities in the area, and now is the time to take a look at all that we have to offer. Peruse our website for all the details of each and every one of our communities. Call ahead and come for a visit to the Discovery Center. We can even arrange for transportation to a number of our nearby communities for a personal tour. We will love to show you around, and we will be honored to be part of your plans for your future!