10 The Senior Reporter | January Regional Senior Housing Directory 2018
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Story by
Pam Franklin, BSN, FCN
Parish Nurse
Parish Nurses are Registered
Nurses in congregational settings,
and as the Parish Nurse in my home
church I usually hear from those
who are concerned about a friend
of theirs. The conversation usually
starts with a statement, “He/She
should really not be living alone.”
I will ask them why they think that
and what types of changes have
they seen in their friend to warrant
their concern. Sometimes it can
be our friends and family that see
changes that are hard to see in
ourselves. Over the years, I have
had opportunities to take seniors in
my congregation to assisted living
apartment settings for tours and
meals in the process of exploring a
move. On one occasion, I took two
ladies, who were best friends, out
to see places to possibly move to.
In the end, they each saw the need
to move “in their friend” but not in
themselves. This was an eye-opener
for me, as in all ages it seems easier
to see what others need except in
ourselves.
The decision in any moving
process is not an easy one for
sure. The thought of clearing out
a home that has more than 40
years of memories and belongings
can be very overwhelming. But
consider doing this while you still
have control of where you might
like your belongings to go, and
where you would like to live. The
process of moving doesn’t happen
overnight, and the place you might
really like may have a waiting list
of up to a year or more.
If you are a senior looking to make
the decision yourself:
• Learn all you can, so you know
what your choices are. Take
tours of local assisted living or
apartment complexes; have a
meal there if available. Plan on
visiting friends that may already
live in a place you are interested
in; ask them what they like/
dislike about the place.
• Have conversations with
family, so they know your
wishes. They may have some
concerns for you already and
are glad you are interested
in making a move or open to
having assistance in your home.
• Have a conversation about
your financial situation; what
can you afford? Maybe rather
than a move, it might be more
beneficial to have services
Deciding
When to
Move