AARP Bulletin - June 2010

; Your World

1. Do you want to live
independently? You
must be motivated
enough to overcome
frustration and incon-
venience.
2. Are you able to
live independently?
People with limited
mobility can often
manage.
3. Can you afford to
live independently?
Government pro-
grams offer a variety
of financial help.
4. Is in-home care
available? Together, a
doctor and a transi-
tion coordinator can
help compile a list of
needed services.
5. Is appropriate
housing available? Re-
quirements vary with
health and mobility,
and include access,
safety features, secu-
rity, and kitchen and
dining facilities.
6. Does the home
have everything you
need? This includes a
telephone, emergency
contacts, kitchen
equipment and per-
sonal care items.
7. Does the commu-
nity offer necessary
medical services?
It’s crucial to identify
and perhaps contact
in advance doctors,
pharmacies, hospitals
and emergency clinics
in the community.
8. Do you have the
necessary skills?
These may include
shopping, showering
or bathing, preparing
meals, budgeting and
paying bills.
9. Is transportation
available? Many areas
have senior transpor-
tation programs.
10. Is social support
available? Options
include senior housing
activities, religious
programs, senior day-
care and family visits.
Deciding whether to move
When nursing home residents consider living on
their own, experts ask these questions:
Now in her
own place,
Arlene Johnson
“couldn’t have
done it”
without Nathan
Bowman-
Johnston.
door to accommodate her wheel-
chair. The carpeting was replaced
with hardwood to make it easier
to wheel herself around. Grab bars
were installed in the bathroom.
While Johnson was in the nurs-
ing home, thieves stripped her old row house
of many possessions. “Basically I had to start
over,” she says. Bowman-Johnston helped
round up furniture and kitchen supplies and
arranged for delivery. A nurse at the nursing
home bought Johnson a microwave.
Bowman-Johnston arranged for a home aide
to help Johnson with chores. He also set up
weekly visits from a nurse. John-
son was lucky enough to find a doc-
tor who made house calls, although
she would have to travel to her sur-
geon’s office for checkups. Medic-
aid would pay for all medically re-
lated travel. For other transportation, public
service was available on demand for a small fee.