What do you do? You want them to live independent, healthy lives without having to stress over where their next meal is coming from or whether to pay the rent or the electricity. You also don’t want them doing what a friend of my grandmother’s decided to do- live out of their car.

As much as you love them, most of us cannot afford to set them up in a home or apartment and pay even part of the rent. But what alternatives do we have?

Well, one option is senior apartments. For some senior apartments the rent is based on the tenant’s income. That means if your aunt is living on social security, then her rent would reflect how much she got from that, not the current prices of the housing market in the area.

Additionally, senior independent living apartment complexes offer many amenities that normal apartments do not. They have activities, do not allow anyone under 55 to live there (cutting out crying babies, rowdy teens, etc) and some even provide dinner to residents, assuring they get at least one healthy meal a day. The apartments are typically small but clean, and they are much more secure than your average apartment complex.

Finding a place your elderly relatives can afford can be a struggle, but senior apartments offer one avenue to explore.

About the author:

Jenny Ellis is a freelance writer, and a regular contributor for aupair care. She welcomes your comments at: ellisjenny728 @ gmail.com.

Affordability

No one likes to think about this part, but affordability is important. It does no good to visit places that are out of reach. Start with a thorough understanding of your senior’s finances: pensions, Social Security, Medicaid/Medicare benefits and any savings or home equity that have accumulated over the years. That will give you what you need to make a list of places to consider.

Location

The move will be easier if your loved one can remain in their community. When neighbors, friends, family, physicians and church are nearby, the transition is much less painful. Ideally, the facility should be near a hospital for quick transport in case of a medical emergency. If the senior is more active, access to parks, movie theaters and senior centers will help keep that activity and level of engagement high. Without social and physical activity, depression and illness can set in.

Cleanliness

Now you’re ready to take tours of the homes on your list. The hygiene of a facility is the most important thing. Follow your nose when you arrive. If it doesn’t smell clean, it isn’t. Make sure the floors are shining, the carpet is well-kept, the drapes aren’t full of dust and painted surfaces are clean. Notice if there are hand sanitizer dispensers on the walls and notice if the staff uses them. Check the resident rooms, rehabilitation areas and common areas for cleanliness and personal touches. Is this a place where you could live?

Compassionate Staff

Talk with staff at each place you visit. If they don’t engage you with a smile and take the time to answer your questions, that’s not the right place for your loved one. Remember that these people are the ones who are there when you’re not. Don’t ignore janitors, cafeteria workers, either. They have important roles in seniors’ care, too. Speak frankly to administrators and marketing people about your concerns. They may be intent on “making the sale,” so listen to their answers and be on the lookout if they seem too aggressive or pushy.

Quality of Care

The quality of care is the hardest thing to predict, but there are several clues that will help you along. First, check with local senior agencies and ask for reviews of the facilities you’re considering. You’ll get some frank answers. Ask your loved one’s physician for recommendations. Doctors make rounds at nursing homes and assisted living facilities and can talk about them in ways you might not have considered.

Once you’ve settled on one or two places, take your loved one on the same tour. If your senior’s mental condition allows it, take their preference into consideration before making a final decision. It may be one of the last life-changing decisions they make, and doing it together will make a hard thing into a positive one.

About the Author

This article comes from Phillippa representing mha.org.uk – a charity providing care and support services for older people in Britain, with care homes in Stockport, Southampton, Glasgow, Leeds and many other locations.

More aggressive asbestos-caused diseases like mesothelioma can require additional efforts and resources. Intense treatments are often necessary for the health of the patent. Furthermore, qualified caregivers are needed to help an aging parent deal with the illness.

If you believe that your parent has an asbestos-related disease, you should equip yourself with information about:

• Treatment concerns
• Caregiver help
• Legal help

Treatment Concerns

The best way to address the concern of a parent with an asbestos-connected disease should be to first seek out medical help. If a diagnosis has not yet been given, you should begin by scheduling an appointment with a doctor who is specialized in respiratory illnesses. Inform the doctor that they experienced asbestos exposure.

Once a proper diagnosis is determined, you will likely be provided with treatment options based on the stage of the disease. For asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma, treatment options often include chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. This is a decision that should be made after properly consulting the doctor, the patient and family members.

To find the right treatment facility, you should consider where the aging parent currently lives, how much access does the parent have to transportation, what their financial situation looks like and what is the severity of their illness. Some non-profits provide free help with traveling expenses and lodging for patients who will be undergoing treatment based on their needs.

Caregiver Help

The overwhelming responsibility of taking care of an aging parent, especially if they are ill, is difficult and requires a commitment. Commonly, the caregiver role is occupied by a family member, a friend or a close neighbor, as it must be someone that can be trusted and is reliable.

Some caregiver responsibilities include:

• Organize/manage the patient’s finances
• Help with cooking and cleaning
• Schedule doctor and cancer treatment appointments
• Provide transportation
• Provide physical and emotional support
• Maintain communication with the patient’s family/friends

Once the caregiver is selected, they can take advantage of the multiple resources that are available to help them understand caregiver duties. It is often best to begin by communicating with the patient’s doctor because they will point you in the right direction for related information.

One aspect of caregiver responsibility that often goes unspoken is the necessity for caregivers to take care of themselves. It is important for a caregiver to be in good physical and mental health so that they can continue taking care of the patient.

They should exercise regularly, eat healthy and seek out emotional outlets for care of their own feelings. Support groups can provide the caregiver with emotional outlets to relieve stress. These groups can be best found through the Internet, references from doctors or recommendations from other caregivers.

Legal Help

Another important action that is often taken after someone determines that their parent’s illness was caused by asbestos is to seek out legal help. Because asbestos diseases like mesothelioma are the result of asbestos exposure that often occurred on the job, the company or asbestos product manufacturer is held liable.

Once a patient has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, they should speak with a lawyer to determine whether they want to pursue legal action. Asbestos litigation has been known to involve large payouts, which help patients deal with the countless medical expenses.

Legal action can be pursued through traditional lawsuits or through trust funds. Because of the overwhelming number of lawsuits, companies who have acknowledged liability for asbestos exposure have often set up trust funds to speed up the process and minimize damages. Many patients have been known to file traditional lawsuits while also pursuing compensation through trusts.

To receive the best legal assistance, it is important to find the right attorney who is familiar with asbestos litigation. You should seek out an attorney who has a proven track record of winning asbestos-related cases for their clients.

Bio: Mark Hall is a writer for the Mesothelioma Center. Between his interests in environmental health and his writing experience, Mark is committed to communicating relevant news and information regarding the dangers of asbestos exposure and breakthroughs in mesothelioma treatments.

1. Understand the basic types of senior living options.

With the “graying of America” there has been a sharp increase in the number of housing and care options that are available to seniors. These include independent living communities, assisted living communities, nursing homes, special care units and more. Some developments will include several of these options. Be familiar with what each one offers.

2. Seek to balance the issues.

There are three important issues to consider when selecting the right assisted living situation: the overall quality of life offered, the standards and type of care available, and the bottom line cost and value.

Quality Of Life

When you’re working with family members to help them understand this issue and strike a good balance, it’s important that they fully realize what they value in their “quality of life.” For example, a far off facility may have many attractive “bells and whistles,” but if the companionship of old friends from their hometown are a vital component in their quality of life, the distant facility may not be the best choice.

Standards Of Care

What standards of care are available? Find out how the community will respond when a medical emergency arises or when your family member’s conditions changes. Are increased levels of care available at or near the same facility? Have this discussion with your family and with the management of any prospective assisted retirement community. Be sure to find out how costs will increase with higher levels of care.

Cost And Value

When considering cost, affordability and value, be sure to fully compute your parent’s current living costs. When items like property upkeep, real estate taxes and insurance that are currently paid out of pocket are considered, the cost of an assisted living community may not be as expensive as it was originally thought to be. Of course “value” is also a part of this consideration. What does the community provide? Are there organized outings or other ways for your family members to stay active and involved, and are they likely to participate or sit on the sidelines? Will the golf course and tennis courts be used frequently enough to justify the additional cost?

3. Get good, balanced reviews of the community.

Don’t depend on your first impressions. Work hard to get a balanced perspective of any assisted living community under consideration. Talk to various levels of the professional staff, the residents themselves as well as the families of current residents. When you’re talking to residents and their families, see if they have any major regrets. Find out if they failed to ask anything that they now think would have been an important question. And, knowing what they know now, would they have done anything differently? Further, make sure you discuss these issues with a variety of residents and their families. The first person you talk to might be the community’s worst malcontent or its biggest booster. You want balanced reviews.

These three “tips” truly cover several very large and vitally important concerns. Study the issues and take your time. If you can give your parents or grandparents wise counsel, it will prove to be invaluable.

About the author:

Gabriel Gervelis writes for Fedelta Care Solutions, a company that helps seniors choose the best assisted living arrangement for their needs.

Stock photography used by license.

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by Skilled Nursing Facilities and Assisted Living Facilities