CC Young Senior Living counselor Martha Bonilla recently appeared on an episode of the podcast Inside the Moms Club.
Martha Bonilla speaks on Inside the Moms Club.
Titled “DECIDING WHAT’S BEST FOR AGING PARENTS (So Karma Treats You Well Yourself Someday)”, the episode’s main topic of discussion centers around “adult children” navigating the realities of their parent’s twilight years.
“The hard thing for adult children,” Bonilla said, “is they’ve planned their weddings, they’ve planned for their children to go off to college, they’ve planned for early retirement. But have your parents planned for their next chapter?”
If they haven’t, one of the Bonilla’s biggest pieces of advice? Research heavily.
“I think you’ve got to do your homework,” Bonilla said, “I think you’ve got to do your homework in finding the right community, whether it be having home help come in or actually in a senior retirement community.”
Bonilla recommended researching as many options as possible, before narrowing it down to three options, then having a conversation with parents. When initiating the conversation, Bonilla stressed the importance of using open ended questions like “Would you be open to” rather than saying “I think you should”.
“You will always be considered a child in your parent’s eyes,” Bonilla said.
When touring a facility with parents, Bonilla said that it is important to ask to sit in on meal time, as this will be one of the best ways to see if they will fit in and feel comfortable.
She also encouraged children to have frank conversations about their parent’s financial situation, and to have a clear understanding of what their next steps are going to cost, whether it be in-home care or in a facility.
For those with parents resistant to assisted or independent living, Bonilla mentioned Life Alert as a valuable resource to ensure safety.
