Good morning Fred. Another well written article. Like yourself, I am mid 70s and want to stay in my place in Floyd as long as I can. I have two grown daughters with families, but they are not local, one in Virginia Beach and one in Augusta Georgia. So my options are moving in with one of my daughters, that’s a ‘no’ for multiple reasons, or moving closer to one of them. But I taught at Virginia Tech for 30 years and am rich in local friends, so I hate to leave all that behind. And that presumes my daughter’s careers will have them staying where they are now and that is not a certain thing. I don’t want either of my daughters to not make a smart career move because dad has moved to be closer to one or the other of them.
So that brings front and center the option of moving to a so-called senior or retirement community. That’s what I’m guessing your next article will be about. It’s critical to find the right place. Saw an article that placed Virginia at 37 among the 50 states in support of nursing homes. Poor pay, long hours, and understaffed. Many of these elder care facilities are being acquired by predatory firms that bleed it dry and then suddenly close it and sell off what remains. Lots of horror stories out there about the kids of residents getting a call that the place is closing, and they suddenly have to scramble to find another one. I am assuming you’ve done due diligence in choosing where to go. Very curious as to what you found.
I have a cousin who lived here in Floyd, but was struggling with advanced diabetes and other health problems, so it was time for him to make that move. He and his wife took their time and really looked places over throughout central, southwest, and southside Virginia. Their conclusion? What they saw was awful. They found two good ones, Warm Hearth in Blacksburg and the Bridgewater retirement community near Harrisonburg. I knew about both of those. They have single-family homes, apartments, and then different levels of medical care as needed. The Bridgewater community is more affordable and it’s located adjacent to Bridgewater College. It’s affiliated with the Church of the Brethren denomination. So my cousin and wife moved into a similar type of facility in central North Carolina. They found several options in that region that met their criteria. They bought a small single-family home and can move into medical care as needed. So that’s their story for whatever it’s worth. I highly value my cousins opinion. I like warm hearth, but the single-family homes are large and expensive. Otherwise it’s a small one bedroom or two bedroom apartment. My late wife and I made a huge downsize to move into our house in Floyd and I would have to do another huge downsize to move into an apartment. But unfortunately, you are correct, these things need to be faced before rather than during a health or accident crisis.
Thanks for sharing this, Charles, I knew you were already in a new chapter after your wife passed. As you illustrate, each option is more or less equivocal at times, bringing as many deficits as benefits. And everybody's complexity in this is unique, with shades of commonality. From what you've shared, I think you will approve of the choices we are making; but then, it is possible that "it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive." Perhaps we both shall see!
Good morning Fred. Another well written article. Like yourself, I am mid 70s and want to stay in my place in Floyd as long as I can. I have two grown daughters with families, but they are not local, one in Virginia Beach and one in Augusta Georgia. So my options are moving in with one of my daughters, that’s a ‘no’ for multiple reasons, or moving closer to one of them. But I taught at Virginia Tech for 30 years and am rich in local friends, so I hate to leave all that behind. And that presumes my daughter’s careers will have them staying where they are now and that is not a certain thing. I don’t want either of my daughters to not make a smart career move because dad has moved to be closer to one or the other of them.
So that brings front and center the option of moving to a so-called senior or retirement community. That’s what I’m guessing your next article will be about. It’s critical to find the right place. Saw an article that placed Virginia at 37 among the 50 states in support of nursing homes. Poor pay, long hours, and understaffed. Many of these elder care facilities are being acquired by predatory firms that bleed it dry and then suddenly close it and sell off what remains. Lots of horror stories out there about the kids of residents getting a call that the place is closing, and they suddenly have to scramble to find another one. I am assuming you’ve done due diligence in choosing where to go. Very curious as to what you found.
I have a cousin who lived here in Floyd, but was struggling with advanced diabetes and other health problems, so it was time for him to make that move. He and his wife took their time and really looked places over throughout central, southwest, and southside Virginia. Their conclusion? What they saw was awful. They found two good ones, Warm Hearth in Blacksburg and the Bridgewater retirement community near Harrisonburg. I knew about both of those. They have single-family homes, apartments, and then different levels of medical care as needed. The Bridgewater community is more affordable and it’s located adjacent to Bridgewater College. It’s affiliated with the Church of the Brethren denomination. So my cousin and wife moved into a similar type of facility in central North Carolina. They found several options in that region that met their criteria. They bought a small single-family home and can move into medical care as needed. So that’s their story for whatever it’s worth. I highly value my cousins opinion. I like warm hearth, but the single-family homes are large and expensive. Otherwise it’s a small one bedroom or two bedroom apartment. My late wife and I made a huge downsize to move into our house in Floyd and I would have to do another huge downsize to move into an apartment. But unfortunately, you are correct, these things need to be faced before rather than during a health or accident crisis.
Thanks for sharing this, Charles, I knew you were already in a new chapter after your wife passed. As you illustrate, each option is more or less equivocal at times, bringing as many deficits as benefits. And everybody's complexity in this is unique, with shades of commonality. From what you've shared, I think you will approve of the choices we are making; but then, it is possible that "it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive." Perhaps we both shall see!