How The Roadmap to Your Best Retirement Life consultation program provides peace of mind.
Tom and Elizabeth were doing well living in their large long-time home in a lovely rural town in Central Massachusetts. Tom was involved in local town committees and a non-profit organization which allowed him to use his many years as a corporate executive to help others in his community. Elizabeth enjoyed getting together with friends, exercising and gardening. She also was engaged in programs and activities in their town. Although Tom and Elizabeth did not have family close by that they could rely on, they were happy with their quality of life. So why did they reach out to Joan Harris, Aging Life Care Professional to evaluate their options and put together a plan for them?
Elizabeth had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease 5 years ago and although she could still walk and care for herself, this diagnosis created many health and functional challenges they were managing as best as they could. Their large home was not handicap accessible for when her mobility worsened and they worried about what would happen if Tom became ill. How would Elizabeth manage without his assistance? Tom and Elizabeth had started to explore retirement communities but found themselves feeling overwhelmed and stuck. They did not know what they were looking at and how the continuums of care of multi-level communities would truly meet their personal needs and goals. They wanted to “Age in Place” in their home, but were unsure how to evaluate what services and home modifications would be appropriate and at what cost.
Symphony Care Management’s Roadmap to Your Best Retirement Life program is a robust consultation service that Joan Harris has developed over the years to support older adults who need and want a tailored plan to meet their long-term unique goals. That puts the right services and supports in place to prevent the pitfalls that can lead to crisis.
For Tom and Elizabeth, the first step was to collect information about their health, medical providers, income, geographic preferences, non-medical support system and leisure activities. Tom and Elizabeth then completed a visioning exercise Joan assigned them designed specifically to assist in drilling down more deeply into what was most important to them for their later older years.
After an extensive home visit assessment, they received a the Roadmap Report with specific recommendations for Highway #1: Aging at Home with the high-quality providers of services they would need to age in place, contact information and pricing as well as the reasons behind each recommendation and education for the differences between different types of providers. There are numerous types of services, many of which our clients are unaware of. The report included Aging in Place certified Home Modification companies, vetted Senior Move Managers as well as a well thought out emergency backup plan if either Tom or Elizabeth became ill. In addition, the plan included education and advice about emergency documents and advance directives.
Tom and Elizabeth received Highway #2 Retirement Community Recommendations that outlined two communities that would give them the quality of life they sought and provide the flexible continuum of services to allow them to be together with the highest standard of quality in independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing levels of care. This, with pricing and an education around the type of agreement they would be entering into were all part of this consultation. Tom and Elizabeth were then able to bring this information to their financial advisor to support their decision making.
After Tom and Elizabeth had some time to read through and digest their Roadmap, a follow up Zoom call was scheduled to review the Roadmap, answer their questions, and see what additional information, support, or action items they wanted assistance with beyond the Roadmap. It was very reassuring to them knowing that Joan and her team of Aging Life Care Managers could be utilized at any time in the future if their needs changed.
For Tom and Elizabeth, the Roadmap program gave them the tools they needed to remain in their home, the knowledge to understand their options when and if they decided to move, and peace of mind knowing they had a backup plan with an expert Care Management Team to reach out to.
It is never too early to plan for all older adults. Building knowledge and partnerships will steer your older years to the best quality of life possible.