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