If you are caring for an elderly parent, you may be searching for the right senior living situation. This article will cover some things to consider before moving mom or dad into a senior living facility.
Getting Started
Find A Placement Agent in Arizona
When the passing of my father and the declining health of my mother required a change in Mom’s living situation, I enlisted the help of a placement agent to help identify the safest place for mom to reside. For high-quality placement agents, I recommend checking our Aging Specialists in our Coalition Directory. If you’re in another state, I recommend looking up “Senior Placement Agents in <State>.
I had to consider these important factors:
- Proximity to family members
- Affordability
- Amenities
- Services
- Community reputation
Mom’s safety, comfort, healthcare, and mental wellbeing were my absolute priorities. Once I had all of that under control, I began to wonder – what about all Mom’s things that are not moving with her?
Dealing With All Mom’s/Dad’s Stuff
I realized that my job was just beginning once Mom was successfully relocated into an assisted living community. Major details that still needed to be considered were:
- What to do with her existing home?
- What to do with her belongings that were left behind
The home would also need to be sold so the proceeds could be used toward her new living arrangement. But first, I needed to address what to do with the contents of her home. This became a 60-day endeavor, including:
- Storage units
- Estate sale
- Yard sale
- Junk removal
- Home repair
- Listing and sale of the home
Fortunately, I live in the same area and own a real estate business. Therefore, I had access to most resources. Still, it was a 60-day process.
How do other Arizona adult children do this?
From that experience, I learned that most other adult children have it tougher than I did. Many live in other parts of the country, have demanding careers, are raising young families, and/or can only afford to spend a couple of weekends settling a family estate.
Find a niche-real estate agent/company
When you find yourself in this situation, I recommend owners seek out specific niche-related real state agents. If you’re in Arizona, I’ve set up a specific division of agents trained in helping adult children sell off their parent’s estates. You can literally hand us the house keys and we will coordinate everything for you – at no extra cost. My agents simply negotiate a reasonable commission on the sale of the home. All other services are billed by the specific service providers, such as movers, estate sales, junk removal, home repair, etc. The bottom line is that everything gets done without the kids having to provide the time and labor. They get to focus on what’s most important – their loved ones.
Here’s how to find us:
The S4 Group is an Arizona Real Estate Company brokered by Keller Williams Realty Sonoran Living.
We can be reached at (602) 725-2609 or kevin.craig@s4realestate.com
