Growing Older / Liz Taylor
Referral service, specialists can help find elder housing

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Q: Please tell me how to locate a local service or individual who will help define appropriate housing for older adults.

I also need to understand the social and psychological components — to help bring any individual needs to the surface. For example, my father says he'd consider relocating from Florida to here — but would he, really? I need a tool to help clarify whether he'd be happy living here. If you get my drift!

A: There are a couple of routes to try.

One way to get connected with all sorts of local older adult services is to call Senior Information & Assistance ("Senior I&A"), a free telephone referral service that exists on a county basis throughout the country. You can reach Senior I&A offices in King, Kitsap, Snohomish and Pierce counties through one phone number — 1-888-435-3377. To find an office elsewhere in the state or country, call the Eldercare Locator office at 1-800-677-1116 or go online to www.eldercare.gov.

Senior I&A's staff are trained to ask questions and guide you in determining what services are appropriate. Although they can't recommend particular outfits, they can send you lists of providers — such as retirement communities, adult family homes, home-care agencies and nursing homes — from which you can choose the one that best serves a parent's needs.

A second, more personal way — and probably the best route in this case — is to hire a geriatric-care manager to help you make decisions. Geriatric-care managers are a new kind of consultant in the aging field, expert at knowing the options and helping families select the best, most appropriate services.

In addition to assessing the person's health, finances, and care needs, the care manager will want to consider his "social and psychological components," as well. With so many different services available now, it's good to match the person's living situation with his preferences and personality. For example, people who've always lived in cities usually prefer to live downtown. Someone with high energy might want a retirement community with lots of activities. An introvert is likely to value quiet and independence. Someone with a deep religious faith might lean toward a facility run by that religion.

In this reader's case, where her father is moving here from far away, I'd want to focus on his coping skills and his ability to handle significantly different weather. How's his health (poor health might make him less resilient)? Does he make friends easily? Does he have hobbies that can move with him? While I know of no "tool" to clarify whether someone would be happy here, an experienced geriatric-care manager will ask many probing questions that will elicit a good "guesstimate."

Care managers charge a fee for their services. Since anyone can hang out their shingle — there's no licensing or regulation governing them — you'll want to ask about their experience and training working with older people. Also, do they have face-to-face knowledge of the choices they recommend? Handing you a list of providers isn't acceptable — you can get that from Senior I&A. You'll want recommendations tailor-made to your dad's needs and preferences.

There are two ways to obtain a list of care managers. One is to contact Senior I&A, above, for a list. Or contact The National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, a trade association, at 520-881-8008 or go online to www.caremanager.org.
 
Q: My dad is 88 and very frail, and his home is falling apart around him. He doesn't have the energy to fix things, nor much money. Any ideas?

A: Depending on where your dad lives, there may be help. Senior Services' Minor Home Repair Program (affiliated with Senior I&A, above) offers assistance to low- and moderate-income homeowners of all ages who live in Seattle, SeaTac, Bellevue and Tukwila. Other communities including Auburn, Kent and Renton offer their own programs.

Typically, fees cover materials at cost and a small amount for labor.

Repairs include fixing leaking pipes and faucets, clearing clogged drains, replacing broken electrical switches and fixtures, rebuilding broken steps and unsafe porches, installing locks and deadbolts, and building wheelchair ramps and installing grab bars and handrails. Disabled renters may even be eligible for disability access modifications if the landlord agrees.

For larger repairs such as roofing and painting, there are low-cost or no-cost loans available. To learn more about minor home repair programs in your dad's community, start with his local Senior I&A office.

Liz Taylor's column runs Mondays in the Northwest Life section. A specialist on aging and long-term care, she consults with individuals and teaches workshops on how to plan for one's aging — and aging parents. E-mail her at growingolder@seattletimes.com or write to P.O. Box 11601, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110. You can see all of her columns at www.seattletimes.com/growingolder/.