Planning for Aging, Then Getting a Diagnosis

Lisa Mayfield, CEO and founder of Aging Wisdom, joins Suzanne to talk about how aging life care professionals consult with individuals and families who are navigating changes in health and memory. Lisa says, "The main thing we're doing with people that are planning ahead is teaching them the lay of the land. What does it look like if you stay at home, what's available? What do those resources look like? What does it cost? Where do you find those people? And then if you were to move, what's assisted living, what's memory care? What's a continuing care retirement community? Helping people understand here are all your options. Here's how they're different. Here's why you might pick one or the other. And then, most importantly, being able to strategize with people based on their own situation, which typically relates to their finances. What financial resources does this couple have for their future planning? And based on that, we can help them create plans that are realistic and sustainable financially." Lisa adds, "I met with this couple 10 years ago, and they were 70 at the time. They had just retired and they were wanting to meet with me, asking: what should we be thinking about? At that point in time, the most important priority was getting their legal documents together, making sure they've done their power of attorney documents, and their advance directives. So they felt better. We made that connection. I heard from them five years later, and that point it was more, 'Okay, we know we want to stay home, but let's tour some retirement communities just so we see what they're like.' And so I identified a few and they toured, and they went on their way saying, 'We feel better. We've done some planning.'  "I just heard from them recently, and they're now 80. The husband was just diagnosed with dementia. So this story is helpful, because they were planning, they've been planning for 10 years. They had this relationship with me. So when that sort of change had happened, they knew who to call. We had a relationship, they could connect. Now it was much more real: what do we do now with this diagnosis? ... And really the big question is, do they want to stay at home or do they want to think about moving?" Aging Life Care AssociationAging Wisdom websiteMore podcasts with Lisa Mayfield Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s SpeaksSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.