Skip

I wanted to take a few minutes to communicate with you regarding Mom and Dad and the current plans we have been discussing with them. Before I go into what we have been planning, I need to bring to everyone’s attention a situation that we have to get under control immediately. Mom has been writing checks for caregiver hours and other items which should be paid either by Joan through the folk’s household account or by me through their caregiver account. Please do not go to either Mom or Dad for checks for these items. With respect to any caregiver hours, those hours have to be reported to Tara each week and I must issue all checks for caregiver services. As you are all aware, we have to get Jean’s spending under control. To do this, I have worked with Mom and will be reviewing her checking account with her each month. I will make sure she has a certain amount of money in that account each month which she is to use only for her personal items. She is not to pay household bills, massages, caregiver hours, meds, etc. Those items are all to be paid by Joan through their household account or by me through the caregiver account.

With respect the plans we have been discussing with the folks, we are trying to accomplish three things. The first is to come up with a long term plan for their care which takes into account what might happen if one of them should suffer another serious medical problem which would necessitate more intense daily care. We want to make sure that should that happen, they are not separated due to the type of care facility available to them. It surprises us, but the skilled-care procedures in most of the care facilities we visited (and we visited about all of them in this area) result in many cases in people being separated once a certain care level is required for one of them. This is something we just will not allow to happen to our parents.

The second goal is to provide an environment where the folks can engage in other activities and meet other people without being dependent on others to drive them somewhere or to arrange for people to somehow get to them. We visited many care facilities which have in-house activities, concerts, movies, classes, and a whole host of other events which Mom and Dad can take advantage of just by walking down to the lobby or other meetings areas, the on-site restaurants and cafes, and other in-house facilities. We also want the facility to have its own vans and other means of transportation providing daily trips for shopping, theatres, museums, and other activities. The right environment would allow Mom to be more active and give her more opportunities to do things without being totally dependent on others and without having to worry about Dad if he does not want to participate. The right environment might also allow Dad to be more active and engage in more activities.

The third goal is to provide for their continued care at a cost they can reasonably afford. We want them to enjoy their lives for many more years and to be as active during those years as possible. I think all of you are aware that while it has been worth every penny we have spent, we simply cannot continue to afford the costs of the coverage they now have. While their current coverage is the best, it doesn’t provide a plan for what we will have to do if one of them requires additional care in the future. In addition, their house has become a major expense and will require major upgrading and renovation in the near future.

We are recommending Sunrise to Mom and Dad as the care facility they should move to. It is located practically across the street from Dr. Farooqui’s office – in fact, Dr. Farooqui’s partner spends days at Sunrise providing on-site medical care for the residents who want it. Because the apartments at Sunrise are small (we all immediately started laughing when we saw the closets), we have arranged to combine two units together. While this will not provide Mom with the closet space she wants (of course, ASU Stadium wouldn’t do that either), it will provide them with a very nice environment. Mom can even do some decorating. Sunrise has the on-site facilities and activities we have been looking for, and the transportation we also wanted. More importantly, Sunrise is set up so that as residents require more intensive care, it can be provided without moving then to other facilities. They can stay together and receive the increased care needed in their current apartment unless they choose to make some sort of change. This was the most important factor in making our selection.

Assuming the folks agree to make this move (they have seen the facilities and have initially agreed to this – but the final decision remains with them), it will probably take place over the next 45 days. And as always, we will need your help. We obviously want to transition them over very carefully. We will continue to need your services after they have moved. On what days and for how many hours, we don’t know. What we would like to do is meet with all of you to hear your thoughts on all of this and to help us come up with a plan for the transition. Chris and Joan will speak with you to arrange a time so we can do so.

As always, thank you all for your dedication and hard work. Please let us know any questions you have or any suggestions you may have. In the meantime, we will set up a time so we can get together and discuss the transition.