Continued from previous page a person’s journey toward assisted living, skilled nursing or rehabilitation centers (formerly known as nursing homes but renamed because they are so much more than that now). Marketing and Public Relations Director Julie Cayer of Diocesan Health Facilities said people who do their homework and figure out either their parents’ or their own healthcare long before they need it will end up far better than those forced to make those decisions. Julie cAyer
Will PoWer Cayer said she’s still surprised to hear people in their 50s that still don’t have a will, something so helpful in determining what a person wants when they can’t speak for themselves. “One piece of advice I would give is to seek out professional help. Tour skilled nursing and assisted living centers way far in advance. It’s a lot less stressful that way,” said Cayer. “We also have Elders Geriatric Case managers that provide human services to help families care for their loved ones as they continue to try and lead an independent life. A lot of people prefer to stay in their home and with a little care, can continue to do so and may just need a little help in living safe, yet still independent lives.”
‘ A lot of people prefer to stay in their home and with a little care, can continue to do so.’ She ought to know. speaking from the experience of working with five facilities, including Catholic Memorial Home in Fall River, Marian Manor in Taunton and Madonna Manor in North Attleboro . “We try to help people prepare for these steps. It’s really important to have these discussions early on rather than when it’s in a crisis because then it’s not easy, and in an acute situation, makes it that much more difficult,” said Cayer. “Even if it’s developing your own health care and health care proxy, you want to have all the things lined up that you will need when you’re older, and you never know when there might be an accident, so sooner rather than later would be best.” Cayer said there’s a great deal of information that will be needed before taking the steps from independent living to assisted living to skilled nursing, which could include everything from daily living needs, current medications, health insurance information, home and automobile policies and retirement bank accounts to wills, power of attorney and much more.
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Andrea Syron is co-director of the Somerset’s Clifton Healthcare Campus, comprised of a skilled rehabilitation nursing center, assisted living facility, outpatient clinic and hospice services. He said the key to preparing for this part of life is to enquire about the services you may eventually need long before you ever need them. “Seniors today are far more active than they once were and they embrace that active lifestyle and they want to make sure they pick a skilled nursing or assisted living facility that meets with their needs in life,” said Syron. “When you have an unexpected illness or injury, you want to be ready because you are put in situations where you have to make many decisions rather quickly.” Like Cayer, Syron said those looking to make early decisions on their own health care or that of their parents should take the time to tour as many facilities as possible. Some people have preferences about being in facilities where some of their friends are located or many want to be closer to loved ones. Some facilities are family-owned and others are corporate-based; some are big and
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others much smaller; some all-inclusive while others are not. These are all decisions that need to be weighed and getting the opinion of the person who will be living there is crucial. Don’t wait for a sudden illness or injury to force the issue. And many more people are thinking farther ahead than ever before, she said. If there is a favorite choice facility, there may be a waiting list, so Syron suggested getting on that waiting list now. But these preparations are not limited to long-term care. Doing your research can pay dividends for short stays as well. Syron noted that many people tour the facility and “pre-book” before they go in for knee surgery or other procedures so they know where they are going when they get out of surgery. “It’s been a wonderful change over the last five years, where people get a connection with us before their procedure and they feel so much more comfortable while they are in the hospital knowing where they are going to be going after,” said Syron. “You don’t want to be pressed for a quick decision. You want to tour these places and get a feel for the facility. Preparing ahead of time makes the process that much smoother and assures that loved ones are getting what they want, while keeping the decision in the hands of those who know best.” JAy PAteAKos has been a freelance writer for more than 10 years including daily and weekly newspapers and monthly magazines. A native of New Bedford, he currently lives in Marion and has three children.