Your Next Move, Author at Senior Housing Options | Raleigh NC

5 Smart Ways Adult Children Can Help Their Aging Loved Ones Plan for Their Future

October 15, 2013 By Your Next Move

You know you’ll play some part in your parents care giving as they start the aging process, but maybe you don’t know quite what will be. Whether financial, health-related, living arrangements, or emotional support, it’s a conversation that’s hard to get started. But taking steps now is the best plan of action to prepare for their future care needs head on. Here are 5 ways that you, their adult children, can help them, and yourselves.

1. Start the Dialog. Maybe your parents already have their future care planned out, but you’ll never know until you ask. Talk with them about their preferences for long term living arrangements and healthcare management. If they haven’t made any plans, now is the time to start while they’re healthy and of sound mind. Once you get the conversation started, discuss power of attorney, living wills, advanced directives, finances, and long-term health insurance options, etc.

2. Get it Together. There is a lot you can do to help your parents get organized for the future. Start by pulling all of their paperwork together in a single, easy to get to place. This includes financial account records, investments, life insurance policies, automobile titles, mortgage information, monthly bills, medical history, social security information, birth and marriage certificates, military records, cemetery plot information, legal documents, and the list goes on.

3. Look at Long-term Care Options
In today’s current economic environment it’s difficult to predict how long a retirement income will last. Your parent’s may be wealthy enough to pay for any long term living arrangements and health care services they’ll require, but most don’t think about that as they save for retirement, and come up short. Whether your parent’s future plans include assisting living or aging in place with care giver services, long-term care is expensive. Is it an option for you or siblings to become full time caregivers? Will social services like Medicare and Medicaid provide financial assistance? Is long-term health insurance a solution? All questions that need answers.

4. Keep the Conversation Going
So you’ve had your initial conversation, working together, you and your parents are collecting and compiling the information. But don’t stop there because you assume everything’s under control. Have regular check-ins with your parents. Have they found the answers to the questions? If so, what are the next steps? Do changes in healthcare policies affect the outcomes or decisions you’ve made together. Always stay abreast of what’s new in terms of legal, financial or policy changes.

5. Ask for Help if You Need It
There can be so much to think about and work through when it comes to planning for your parent’s future care, that it’s often a good idea to seek professional help. Consider consulting a Certified Senior Advisor, an attorney specializing in elder law or a financial planner, or all of the above for advice on long term care financial options.

Your Next Move can help you locate the perfect senior housing for your aging loved one. Our team of relocation specialists are also with you through every step of the transition process including home sale, downsizing, estate sales and moving household goods.

Your Next Move, Easing Your Senior Transition
Julie Kopetsky, President
www.yournextmovenc.com
919-601-8203
Julie.kopetsky@yournextmovenc.com

4 Ways to Sensibly Price Your Parent’s Home for Sell

September 24, 2013 By Your Next Move

Putting a fair value on your parent’s home isn’t just a number you pull out of the air. You may look at what they paid for it, or what their mortgage payoff is, and add in a real estate commission with a bit of spare change for profit, but there are several factors involved in pricing a home for market – current home prices, square footage, listing durations and interest rates to name a few. These 5 tips can prepare you for going to market.

1. Sentiment Doesn’t Add Value. You can’t ask more than the market is willing to pay. Period. Yes, maybe you yourself grew up in the house, your parents saved every penny for ten years to be able to put a down payment on it, they added a garage with fresh paint five years ago… Buyers aren’t motivated by emotional or sentimental attachment, so you can’t factor that into the price, and you can’t allow your personal view point to of what is a value to stand in the way of setting the price.

2. Get 2 Price Opinions. It’s in your best interest to get two price opinions from two different Realtors. When you work with Your Next Move, that’s exactly what we do. You get two price opinions and we review them with you to help you select the realtor that will best meet your needs.

3. Be Your Own Research Sleuth. Even though you’re working with a great Realtor, it may be beneficial for you to do your own market research as well so you can assess the price variations within your area, see what upgrades or improvements neighbors have made. What’s appeal to a buyer versus your house? Even though your Realtor is best suited to help you price your parent’s home to sell, it helps to gain a better understanding of all the factors that go into pricing a home.

4. Incentivize. Sometimes extra incentives help your home sell faster, like seller-financing, warranties or other allowances. Some buyers have needs other than the bottom dollar, so if you’re in a position to be flexible and resourceful, it can often help put more money in your pocket.

Your Next Move, Easing Your Senior Transition
Julie Kopetsky, President
www.yournextmovenc.com
919-601-8203
Julie.kopetsky@yournextmovenc.com

Coconut Oil – Good For Your Heart, Your Mind

September 10, 2013 By Your Next Move

What once was thought to contribute to heart disease, Coconut oil is now considered heart-healthy. A recent posting on the Dr. Oz website, written by to Pina LoGiudice ND, LAc, Siobhan Bleakney, ND, and Peter Bongiorno ND, LAc, Co-Medical Directors of Inner Source Health in New York, coconut oil has many health benefits.

Aid our body’s resistance to certain viruses and bacteria that can cause illness.
Fight against yeast, fungus and candida.
Control thyroid function, boost metabolism
Improve our body’s insulin use
Increases digestion
Lowers cholesterol
Balances weigh grain by leading to efficient burning of energy.
Can actually help our bodies reduce the need for antioxidant intake.
Organic coconut oil is a natural skin and hair moisturizer
Tasteful, healthy cooking ingredient
Aid in the slowing of the progression of dementia

Researches in the field of Nutrition believe that coconut oil could provide some cognitive benefit to people with Alzheimer’s through ketone bodies, the biological byproducts of the coconut oil in the digestion process and an alternate fuel source for brain cells when glucose isn’t efficiently absorbed – which is what happens in Alzheimer sufferers. Our bodies don’t usually churn out many ketone bodies on its own. However, using coconut oil may produce a temporary state of hyperketonemia—significantly elevating the number of ketone bodies in a person’s blood stream.

As with any untested, unproven treatment options, it’s important to consult your own doctor before beginning a regimen on your own. Remember, coconut oil is a saturated fat and the FDA cautions people to keep their consumption of saturated fats to a minimum. Too much saturated fat can lead to high levels of “bad” (LDL) cholesterol and an increased risk for developing heart disease.

Your Next Move can help you locate the perfect senior housing for your aging loved one. Our team of relocation specialists are also with you through every step of the transition process including home sale, downsizing, estate sales and moving household goods.

Your Next Move, Easing Your Senior Transition
Julie Kopetsky, President
www.yournextmovenc.com
919-601-8203
Julie.kopetsky@yournextmovenc.com

A Lesson from the Elderly: Live An Authentic Life Now

August 27, 2013 By Your Next Move

Have you ever asked yourself, what am I supposed to be doing with my life? Instead, according to Kathleen Taylor, a licensed mental health counselor who spent much of her career working with hospice patients, we should be asking ourselves Who am I being with my life.

Throughout our lives we strive to reach an “ideal”, some standard that we think is expected of us. The elderly have it right, says Taylor. Those who are in the last chapter of their lives have reached a point where they stopped living for everyone else. We may lose our physical strength, and our mental abilities will diminish over time, but the power to continue to grow our souls, continues until we’ve taken our last breath.

Maybe it’s an overused cliché, to live everyday like it’s your last, but instead of creating a bucket list of exotic adventures, historic places to see, or people to shake hands with, create a single entry in your list – “live an authentic life”, and don’t wait until the dying process to tackle it.

Dying people teach us that it’s never too late to discard what’s false in our lives and to become the person we really are. Taylor says we should all say, it’s never too soon to find out who you really are. So why wait until we’ve reached the end of our life? Don’t look back with any regrets and find yourself at the end of your journey saying, “I wish I’d had the courage to live life true to myself and not the life others expected of me.”

Your Next Move can help you locate the perfect senior housing for your aging loved one. Our team of relocation specialists are also with you through every step of the transition process including downsizing, estate sales, moving household goods, and home sale.

Your Next Move, Easing Your Senior Transition
Julie Kopetsky, President
www.yournextmovenc.com
919-601-8203
Julie.kopetsky@yournextmovenc.com

You Are Not Alone: Local Support Programs For Caregivers

July 23, 2013 By Your Next Move

Taking care of an aging parent can be emotionally charged, financially burdensome and physically exhausting. The new reality is that family members play a major role in the long-term care of their elderly loved ones. According to the MetLife Mature Market Institute, 25 percent of adult children over 50 now provide personal and/or financial support to one or more parents. With those statistics, you know you’re not alone.

The National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP), established in 2000, provides grants to States and Territories, based on their share of the population aged 70 and over, to fund a range of supports that assist family and informal caregivers to care for their loved ones at home for as long as possible.
The NFCSP offers a range of services to support family caregivers. Under this program, States shall provide five types of services:
• Information to caregivers about available services,
• Assistance to caregivers in gaining access to the services,
• Individual counseling, organization of support groups, and caregiver training,
• Respite care, and
• Supplemental services, on a limited basis

More than 1 in 10 family caregivers report that caregiving has caused their own physical health to deteriorate, so it’s important to recognize these warning signs and call ‘time out’ before you burnout. Support services have helped caregivers stay healthy longer by reducing caregiver depression, anxiety and stress by offering advice, understanding and valuable legal and financial resource information, all of which allows caregivers to be able to provide at home care longer.

Through the NFCSP program, the NC Division of Aging Adults Services administers North Carolina’s Family Caregiver Support Program through services provided by 17 area-focused Agencies on Aging. For the services offered in your particular area, visit http://www.ncdhhs.gov/aging/aaa.htm.
Your Next Move can help you locate the perfect senior housing for your aging loved one. Our team of relocation specialists are also with you through every step of the transition process including downsizing, estate sales, moving household goods, and home sale.

This blog post is brought to you by the team at Your Next Move. If you are interested in further information you may contact us below. LIKE us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to get the most current communication on the subject of senior relocation. Please join our mailing list.
Your Next Move, Easing Your Senior Transition
Julie Kopetsky, President
www.yournextmovenc.com
919-601-8203
Julie.kopetsky@yournextmovenc.com

5 Reasons You Need a Realtor to Sell Your Parent’s House

July 9, 2013 By Your Next Move

Unless you’re a professional house flipper or an experienced FSBOer, it’s not wise to try and sell your parent’s house by yourself. In today’s competitive housing market, where potential buyers have many options, it’s crucial to make sure your parent’s house stands out among the masses and you want to get the best price to help secure your parent’s long term financial and healthcare needs. Here are 5 reasons you should work with a Realtor to sell your parent’s house.

1. Price it Right. Knowledgeable, experienced Realtors know what the market is willing to pay for a home in your area. Your Next Move specializes in senior relocation and transition services and work with professional, results-oriented Realtors who will help determine a competitive cost analysis for your parent’s home. They also don’t just set you up with one Realtor, but two, who will provide you a price opinion on your house, then Your Next Move will review both options and help you select the agent who best suits your need. Realtors have up-to-the-minute access to market activity regarding prices, financing, terms and conditions of competing properties to help you avoid the dangers of overpricing, or underpricing, your parent’s home.

2. Marketing is Necessary. It’s not enough just to put a sign in your front yard; you have to treat your parent’s home like any other commodity on the market. Your Realtor does double-duty as a marketing representative, listing your house on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) so hundreds of other Realtors have access to your home for their clients. They also host open houses and give you objective advice on home repairs and necessary upgrades, all to help improve the salability of the house. They also take advantage of trending social media outlets to promote your home like Twitter, facebook, and Pinterest.

3. Limit Your Liability. By going it alone, you may be opening yourself up to legal action if you unwittingly don’t disclose pertinent information about your property to potential buyers. Whether it’s crumbling foundations, environmental issues or other damage, a professional Realtor receives on-going training and certification, and are versed in the legality of disclosures that must be made to potential buyers.

4. Artful Negotiation. While it may be tempting to jump at the first offer and agree to a buyer’s contingencies, a Realtor is skilled in negotiating and can objectively help you navigate the Offer to Purchase contract without leaving any money on the table, unnecessarily.

5. Stay Safe. Hanging a For Sale by Owner sign in your front yard can also create safety concerns. Anyone can drive by, see your sign, and pretend to be a serious buyer, only to gain access to your home with ill-intentions. A Realtor meets with buyers upfront, often multiple times, and accesses whether they’re legitimate buyers with the financial resources to purchase a home before they ever bring them to view your property.

Your Next Move, Easing Your Senior Transition
Julie Kopetsky, President
www.yournextmovenc.com
919-601-8203
Julie.kopetsky@yournextmovenc.com