Blogging about issues facing our elders today are personal in nature to me in many ways. I was very moved when I first learned about Advise and Protect and their mission to assist families in meeting their elder’s needs with the greatest ease, care and respect possible. Our elders, be they a spouse or parent, have many needs including medical, physical, emotional, financial and legal.
The more I hear about this seniors move and the issues they experiences, the more I felt the need to share my own experiences and those of others related to everyday struggles seniors encounter on a regular basis.
Kindly allow me to step back for a moment… When my spouse became ill, we had no one to help and neither of us having a background in elder care, at times, the magnitude of needs and have to’s quite frankly were not only overwhelming but impossible. Being still fairly new to the area and unfamiliar with all the elder care services available neither of us knew where to even begin. Dealing with multiple catastrophic illnesses was devastating and the time required to keep up with medical records, scheduled appointments, blood work, surgeries, multiple physicians, medical facilities, etc. along with finding it necessary to move due to mounting medical expenses, left little to no time for research as to how or where to obtain assistance. Thus, my personal reason for becoming involved with Advise & Protect not only to participate in the work but to share some of the experiences we encountered and how the services of this fine organization, such as senior care services, would have helped us immeasurably.
What once would have been a fairly simple task of moving became a mammoth undertaking. Due to surgeries in another city, etc. we were unable to be available during any part of our move nor, was there a family member or other individual who we could entrust overseeing our relocation. Long story short, what should have been an uncomplicated move not only ended up costing us over $200,000 in loss and damage to our personal property and new home. Another misfortune during the move included numerous boxes being dumped along the highway in which legal documents including taxes, receipts, etc. were filed. The most precious of items though were of no monetary value but, sentimental belongings such as family photo albums which, of course, could never be replaced. The set-back of the move was traumatic enough but trying to file an insurance claim was impossible as all of our receipts and photos were gone, leaving us without any proof of loss. Needless to say, we would have benefited immeasurably had we been so fortunate to have a company to coordinate the services of a professional estate liquidator along with a trustworthy moving company.
Kindly join me here twice a week, as we discuss a variety of issues ranging from medical care and appointments, senior care, senior home help, elder care services, elderly assistance, adult day care, legal issues, diet tips, communicating with aging parents, advice on moving, how to reach out to an aging parent who refuses help, caregiver support and much more.
For those who would like to share their own experiences, advice which might be of help to others, questions or ideas for this Blog please feel welcome and encouraged to do so by commenting below.