Shirilevita

Archive for the ‘Senior Citizens’ Category

A good way to begin thinking about where and how to live in the future is to make some checklists. This system enables you to focus on the specifics of your situation while you’re still collecting and sorting out information. Often, checklists and inventories can also help you screen out unsuitable options right from the start.
We suggest you begin by doing a simple priority exercise right now. If you are thinking about a change in living arrangements together with an older relative or your parents, ask them if they- would like to do this exercise. It will be a quick way to summarize the individual needs and preferences that shape decisions about living arrangements and the rest of the book will become more meaningful and helpful.
To begin, take a sheet of ruled paper and list the following items on the left hand side, one under the other, double spaced.
• Climate
• Neighborhood safety
• Visual appearance of neighborhood
• House or apartment security
• Visual appearance and state of repair of exterior
• Visual appearance and state of repair of interior
• Structural features (elevators, ramps, handrails)
• Cost (rent or mortgage payment)
• Access to public transportation
• Proximity to medical care
• Proximity to shopping
• Proximity to church or recreation center
• Daily presence of another person in the home or very close by
• Assistance with heavy cleaning and housekeeping
• Assistance with light housekeeping
• Assistance with personal chores (bathing, laundry, shopping, cooking)
• Privacy
• Proximity to family (close enough to visit weekly)
• Proximity to friends (close enough to visit weekly)
• Neighborliness
Add to these, whenever they arise, any other features of housing and living that are important to you.
Now, put a plus sign next to each item about which you feel generally satisfied or which you feel is not an important consideration. Answer in terms of how you feel today—don’t try to anticipate the future. Place a minus sign next to those items with which you’re presently dissatisfied or that you feel are significant problems. (If you’re undecided, leave a blank or indicate a question mark and return to that one later.)
Next, go down the list of items once again. Rate each item according to how important it is in your life right now. Use a “1” for high priorities, a “2” for ones that are secondary and a “3” for items that have low priority for you.
Take a good look at all the “1” scores that have pluses next to them. Obviously, these are the things you value most about your present living situation. For the short term, at least, you shouldn’t sacrifice or compromise these items any more than you absolutely have to.
Look closely now at “1” scores that are accompanied by minuses. They contain the picture of just what would have to change, if you are to be happier with your living arrangements. You may want to put these changes in rank order, with the most important ones first, if you are clear in your own mind about that.
Another thing you can do is to list your one pluses and one minuses under two headings, called Keep and Change. If you have a large number of keeps and hardly any changes, that tells you something. (Of course, it may still be very important to you to make those few changes, especially if economy is one of them.) If the reverse is true and you have a large proportion of changes, you know you need to look for some alternatives without undue delay.
The last step in this exercise is to ask yourself, “What do I like best about my present living arrangements?” Don’t reflect upon this too long. Write what comes to mind immediately. It’s best to limit the list to three. Now ask yourself, “What do I like least about my living arrangements?” and answer in the same way. Your two statements don’t commit you to anything—they are simply food for thought.
You can take an intermission now, or start the whole exercise over again. Only this time, you fill in the columns while imagining what life will be like in seven to ten years. True—only a prophet ormagiclan would attempt to predict. We suggest only that you use your self .knowledge and experience to make some educated guesses about what will be important to you in the future.
Although this exercise can be very helpful, it is not a formula for successful decision-making! None of the priorities you choose are written in stone. Some may be reinforced by experience. Others may change with the passage of time. The purpose of the exercise is to help clarify, focus, and generally get a good handle on your present and future living situations.