87 Year-Old Female Downsizing to Independent Living

Mrs. F was an 87 year-old woman who recently lost her husband. They lived in a large condominium in Portland. Mrs. F realized that the condo was too large for her by herself, and she did not want to continue living there alone. She didn’t want to deal with the maintenance, nor have to cook all her meals and clean her apartment. She wanted the social activities, meals, and housekeeping that come with an independent living community

Mrs. F was referred to us by a mortgage broker who had worked with her several years previously, and they had remained good friends. We met with Mrs. F to determine what she was looking for in her new home. She had already made a list of exactly what she wanted: a studio or 1 bedroom apartment, ability to make her own breakfast, a Catholic church nearby, assisted living nearby or on the same campus, and a smaller community. She had a preference in mind of where in the Portland area she wanted to live, and she was working with a fairly tight budget.

Exit Seeking Leads to Emergency Move

Dorothy, 86, moved to Portland to be near her daughter. She had lived alone in her own home for the last 10 years since her husband passed but was in Eastern Washington and her daughter worried about her being so far away. Her daughter on her own found her a very nice apartment in an independent living community. Dorothy had a full kitchen so she could continue to cook for herself if she wanted but three meals a day were provided in the dining room. It was the perfect scenario for Dorothy to remain independent but have the support from the community and her daughter when needed…

What her daughter didn’t realize was Dorothy had severe memory impairment. Dorothy was able to have very nice conversations with her daughter on the phone and she was fine for short visits. The ability to mask memory impairment short term is common. Family often doesn’t realize how severe the issues are until something dangerous happens.

zeth@greatnessdigital.com October 22, 2015