How to Move Your Senior Parent to an Assisted Living Community Closer to You
As the adult child of a senior parent, your mother or father may currently reside in an assisted living community. Your parent may be generally content with where he or she resides. However, a new assisted living community may have recently begun opening its doors. And that new assisted living community is located much closer to you. At this time, you and your parent are now wondering how the process works to move your mother or father to the new assisted living community closer to your home.
There are five specific elements associated with the process of considering a move from an existing assisted living community to a new one closer to you and your family. These are the need to follow:
- Undertake due diligence regarding the new assisted living community
- Make certain your parent qualifies for residence in the new community
- Begin residency termination process at existing assisted living community
- Hire a reputable packing service and mover
- Keep in mind that your parent is the decisionmaker
Undertake Due Diligence Regarding the New Assisted Living Community
Due diligence is vital to ensure that your parent selects the most suitable assisted living community. Your parent’s participation in a due diligence effort can be challenging and even problematic from afar.
One strategy you will want to seriously consider during the due diligence phase of looking for an ideal assisted living community for your mother or father is to bring your parent to you during the process. For example, with your parent, narrow the number of options down to about three; you will want to visit each option with your parent – and more than one time (including on different days of the week and different times of day).
You may want to consider blocking out about a week to have your parent on hand to examine the “final picks.” In-person time in this regard truly will be time well spent, necessary to maintain your parent’s control over the process.
Make Certain Your Parent Qualifies for Residency in the New Community
You need to check and double-check that your parent qualifies for an assisted living community on the list of potential facilities. This includes ensuring your parent is free of any medical conditions that disqualify him or her or might present a problem in a particular community later on down the road. In other words, you will want to essentially repeat the process you underwent when your mother or father initially moved into an assisted living community.
Begin Residency Termination Process at Existing Assisted Living Community
Once you and your parent have an assisted living community near you locked in – the contract has been signed – you will want to terminate the existing agreement at the current facility. An assisted living agreement will contain the specific process your parent needs to follow to terminate an assisted living agreement. Typically, that includes providing 30 days’ notice or intent to terminate and more from an assisted living community.
You want to make a move as seamless as possible. However, there likely will need to be some overlap during which your parent pays for both locations. Limiting that to a couple of weeks is practical and ensures no gap time between one location and the other.
Hire a Reputable Packing Service and Mover
Because you are far from your parent, you will want to consider hiring a reputable packing service to assist your parent in preparing for the move out of his or her current assisted living community. Similarly, you will want to make certain you engage the services of a reliable moving company. This needs to be a moving company that confirms the date your parent’s items will be picked up for the move and the specific date on which the property will be delivered to your parent’s new assisted living home.
Remember: Your Parent Is the Decisionmaker
One final point must be stressed. When it comes to the prospect of your senior mother or father moving from his or her existing assisted living community to one closer to your home, the decision to make such a move is that of your mother or father. You certainly can make a recommendation. You can even work to persuade your parent to make such a move (provided you use the proper techniques). You must not force your parent to decide on a move your mother or father does not want to make.