In Minnesota there are a plethora of services for aging parents. You'll find an abundance of senior housing, at-home care companies, geriatric care managers, move managers, senior real estate specialists, day services, non-medical care companies, financial planners, reverse mortgage officers, and other small companies that want to manage the services of the forementioned small companies.
PHEW! No wonder we have the highest rate of volunteer caregivers in the nation. It's easier to just provide the services yourself than navigate the maze of senior services.
Photo by cursed thing
Seriously, the tip for the day is this: understand your needs and write them out on a piece of paper. It's similar to identifying the business need for a new piece of software, or your wish list for Christmas. It should look something like this:
My mom needs to move. To make that happen here are the things we need:
1) We need a REALTOR who specializes in working with seniors. Mom is starting to have memory issues, so we'd like someone particularly patient.
2) Mom will need a handyman to make repairs to the house to get it ready for the market.
3) We need to find a mover who can help us figure out what to do with all the stuff.
4) We need an estate sale company.
Then, when you make the first contact with someone in the senior industry, whether it's a real estate agent, or someone in senior housing, or a geriatric care manager, hand over the list and ask for refrrals. Think of the time this will save you in tracking down the resources you need!
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