Going Home: When Is It Time to Move Closer to Aging Loved Ones?

 
When an aging loved one lives far away from you, it can be difficult to monitor their health and wellbeing. At some point, you might decide you want to move closer to them, and ensure their needs are taken care of. To make this a smooth process, conduct your due diligence and get your finances in order. Varma Realty Group can help make the transition easier. 
 

1. When Is It Time?

 
Many seniors have a fierce independent streak, and as such, may downplay their needs, fearing it might mean an end to autonomous living. However, staying in touch on a regular basis and asking to consult with primary care providers can give you a better idea of your loved one’s changing needs. Can they still perform the activities of daily living, like bathing, dressing, and feeding themselves nutritious meals? Can they manage their own medication? Have they fallen or injured themselves recently? Keeping pace with changing needs can help you determine when more help is warranted.

 

2. Have “the Talk”

 
Your loved one may look forward to you moving closer to them, or they may feel they’re losing their independence. According to Aging Care, have open and honest conversations and handle your loved one’s concerns with kindness and compassion. If there’s not an immediate need for hands-on assistance, you might be able to provide supplemental long-distance care by hiring a personal aid or in-home nurse, pay for meal delivery service or housekeeping – anything that might allow your loved one to safely live on their own for as long as possible.

 

3. Making the Move

 
If you decide to relocate, you’ll want to time the sale of your current home and the purchase of a new one to coincide, so you aren’t stuck in transitional housing. A knowledgeable real estate agent and a lender can help. You’ll want to get preapproved for a mortgage before you start looking at new homes. This process allows you to evaluate your finances, your credit, and your cash resources and will help you decide how much you can spend. Being preapproved for a loan positions you to move quickly once the perfect home opens up.     
 

4. Discussing Next Steps

 
If your loved one reaches a point where they can no longer safely live on their own, even with your assistance and outside help, it might be time to discuss long-term care options, like assisted living. There are numerous price points to consider, and you’ll want to ensure your loved one is safe, comfortable, and cared for in their new environment. According to Caring.com, you can research facilities online, take in-person or virtual tours, and potentially even allow your loved one to stay at a facility on a short-term trial period as a form of respite care. Ask about staff-to-patient ratios, socialization opportunities, and the specific types of care each facility specializes in providing. 
 

5. Paying for Care

 

If savings, Medicaid or Medicare, or long-term care insurance don’t cover the costs of assisted living, you might consider helping your loved one liquidate assets to cover their new living environment. Assisted living costs vary, and many facilities are tiered, ranging from semi-independent living to skilled nursing care options, all with different price points. A real estate professional can assess the current market and help you decide the best time to sell. It can be helpful to have a power of attorney designation from your loved one to help make decisions on their behalf.
 
While it’s never easy to see loved ones decline in health, moving closer to them and helping them through this transitional time of life is a kind and loving act. Keep communication channels open, plan your steps carefully, and rest assured in your newfound peace of mind.

 

Varma Realty Group is a Cincinnati, OH-based firm committed to excellence and personalized service. Visit the site and reach out via phone or email for a consultation.
 
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5 Things to Do to Freshen Up Your Home in the New Year

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“New Year, New You”…you may have heard this common saying when the month of January rolls around yet again for the beginning of a new calendar year. People usually take this time to set goals they want to accomplish in the next 12 months. It’s also a great time to take a look around your home and think about what tweaks you’d like to make to create a more liveable, user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing environment. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Create a Disorganization Hotspot

We all have a spot in our home where the stacks of papers end up. Instead of having one large stack of unsightly papers, invest in a decorative acrylic desktop file box with folders for each common type of paper that lays around your house: bills, kids’ school papers, recipes/meal planning, mail, etc. Teach every member of the household to use it. Create an ongoing organization system as a way to deal with paper clutter.

 

2. Rearrange Your Furniture

We’ve all been spending a lot more time at home the last couple of years thanks to the pandemic, and our eyes may have gotten tired of staring at the same room setups. Why not sit down and create new furniture arrangements for several high-use rooms. Sometimes rearranging furniture makes you feel like you’re in a whole new house!

 

3. Update Your Lighting

Lighting can change the entire feel of a room. If low ceilings or lack of space is causing your room to feel cramped and claustrophobic, large table or floor lamps and wall lighting can be used to throw light (and the eye) upwards, opening up the area around them. Accent lighting is another innovative method that can easily be employed to emphasize certain areas of a room in order to draw the eye to a specific focal point. Colored lighting can give a warm feel to a room. Whatever change you’re looking for, updating your lighting will definitely refresh a room.
 

4. Clean Out Your Kitchen

A kitchen accumulates lots of small items: a juicer you had to have during that juice diet a couple years ago, that cool set of knives you saw on an infomercial, a pizza stone you purchased from an online kitchenware party…you get the picture. Start the new year with a freshly cleaned out kitchen. Go through all your gadgets and cooking utensils. Which ones do you use frequently and which ones no longer serve you? Sell or give away those that are just taking up space. Also…take a look in your pantry. Go through all of your canned and boxed goods. Throw out any food that is past the expiration date. Put anything that you don’t think will get eaten into a box and take it to a food pantry.
 

5. Refresh Accessories

You don’t need to buy a whole new suite of furniture to refresh a room. Buy some new pillows and a throw blanket for the couch. Find a unique centerpiece for your coffee table. Replace your welcome mat. Paint your kitchen chairs. A little change in accents goes a long way in changing the feel of a room.
Varma Realty Group is happy to provide you with real estate tips and tricks. If you have any questions regarding listing or buying a home, please reach out to us at varun@varmarealtygroup.com. 
Thank you for reading our real estate articles. 

If you’re serious about buying, selling, or investing in a home or property, let’s connect.

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