Latest / Aging Parent TrapX / Aging in Place
Transcript
- Sue Pinky Benson: Like, wow, that would have been great for my mom who could sit and cook and feel like she was contributing because that was really important to her identity that she was contributing something to the household. Allison: Welcome to the Aging Parent Trap X YouTube channel and podcast. I am Alison Newland with Platinum Properties of Florida in the Greater Tampa area, and I am joined today. ⁓ As usual, with my by my friends and colleagues, Nikki Flynn with Elite Preparation Services and Julie Cook with Generational Transitions. And we have a special guest today, my friend and realtor colleague, Sue Pinky Benson. You can find her on Instagram at Your Naples Bestie. She's a Naples realtor. She knows everything there is about Naples. And she's here with us today to talk about in place process. properties because as a Gen Xer we are all right now experiencing how to help our aging parents transition navigate through their senior years and of course everybody wants to live in their home as long as possible and when I was with Sue a couple of weeks ago ⁓ was mentioning this awesome property that she has which we will share our screen ⁓ and show you the property here in a minute but let's just talk a little bit About what aging in place means. And Julie, you could probably talk about this a little bit ⁓ because you help people find ⁓ senior facilities ⁓ after aged out of their home essentially. But what are some of the attributes that someone is looking for in an aging-in-place property? Julie Cook, Generational Transitions: So, if someone is looking at aging in place, we've talked multiple times about options and knowing what you need. And so I think that's important. Well, I help folks find senior living communities oftentimes, and understandably so. Folks want to talk about aging in place first, which is a great option and should be pursued if it can be done safely. So and and Sue's gonna be able to speak to what's needed to age in place, but some things to consider of when I can stay and age in place versus when I can't. A lot of that safety is the number one thing. Can you navigate your home safely? ⁓ there's things that you may not consider right off the bat, things like companionship. Are they withdrawing because they're lonely? ⁓ are they forgetting things? The stove is being left on, medication is not being taken properly. That's when we need to look at maybe aging in place is no longer a safe option and we need to look at something else. But definitely aging in place is a great option to consider when you've got some concerns about aging parents. Allison: And so N Nikki, going to ⁓ some of the healthcare items that are needed when someone ages in place, I mean you can talk a little bit about that in terms of Medicare, Medicaid, that kind of thing. Nikki Flynn: Yeah, there's just kind of like what we've touched on before, the the misconception that everybody has is that if they were to go into a facility, that their insurance is going to cover it. And like you and I had the discussion last week about, you know, what you're paying for your mom's expenses, that's not the case unless they have like a long-term care policy or other types of ⁓ what we gently touched on last week, like an annuity product or a life insurance policy that has riders that will pay for that type of care. I love the aging in place option because ⁓ so much happier to be at home. So if that small little assistance is needed, ⁓ you can look at possibly having like a home health or even just ⁓ friend or an assistant that would come in to make sure, just do a a check. Sometimes I have clients who have neighbors ⁓ just come in and check, especially when the family is ⁓ country, they'll just come in and check and make sure that they're taking their medicine. ⁓ that they have the groceries, stuff like that, just those little things that will allow them to stay at their home. when it comes to being able to go into facilities, that's the part where it gets really, really ⁓ and it's not covered by insurance. So if there is an option to age in place ⁓ you just fill in those gaps with being able to have a little bit of assistance is going to be so much more beneficial. ⁓ it gives them a chance to still thrive. ⁓ decline when they're taken out of their homes, especially when that's not what they're wanting. Or if they've lost the love of their life and then they're by themselves, they still want to feel connected to that person and they're gonna do that by being at the house, not being taken out of the home that they were in with their loved one and then placed into a facility where they know nobody and they feel even more secluded. Allison: Yeah, and you know, Sue was sharing with us something about her experience with her mother and what was important to her when you looking for a a place she wanted to be able to cook. ⁓ Right, You were talking a little bit about that. Sue Pinky Benson: Yeah, I think, well, you know, I think that's something that comes up as they get older, right? I mean, it's just a human nature. We all want to feel like we're part of the tribe, right? And so when you are in a home, my mom... wanted to feel like she was contributing, right? Like whether that was folding the laundry, she could sit there and fold the laundry for me, that was helpful to her when she got older and she couldn't get down and, you know, wash the floors or whatever she thought she needed to do. But cooking, right? Cooking is a huge thing that a lot of people, that's their, you know, we feel good. Like we, I made this for you, right? ⁓ the ability to have an aging in place property. where cooking isn't, know, like a higher, ⁓ the example of the listing that I have for sale here in Naples, the ⁓ who a special, she was specialized interior designer ⁓ for in Place Homes. That's what she did as an interior designer. Her husband was in a motorized chair. ⁓ And he was a big cook. And what he did in the kitchen was he, they had a motorized, So the oven can go up and down. that way, whether ⁓ were sitting, let's say you were sitting in a wheelchair or even just sitting in a chair ⁓ you had to sit there and stir. I I think I could use that anyway and I'm just 50, but your arm gets tired, you're sitting there. ⁓ it was motorized so we could go up and down. But then we also look at multi-generational. Allison: Yeah. Right. Sue Pinky Benson: So let's say grandma is there and she is cooking the pasta or making the favorite meal for dinner. And you have, you know, a 10 year old who's learning to cook. What an amazing moment to be able to have these two different generations still. feeling like they're both contributing and part of something. And it's all because, you know, something as simple as a motorized oven, you know, going up and down, that's all that it was. But this home itself has taught me so much about aging in place. You know, I get a lot of... ⁓ Allison: And I'm gonna share I'm gonna share this in a second. ⁓ actually. I actually do you mind if I pull it up right now so we can kind of go through some of the features that you're talking about? Okay, let me do that. Let me share my screen. Let's see, here it is. Sue Pinky Benson: Sure. you think, Alison, while you do that, I think that one of the things that, you know, I have a lot of conversations with buyers from all over the country that are looking to move to Naples. And, you know, I just had one with somebody the other night on Instagram. ⁓ She's wanting to bring her parents with her from New York. And the they're looking for like a casita or a second home or an in-law suite. They think that that is a great option for them. But, you know, really, that's not aging in place. That's just Allison: ⁓ Sue Pinky Benson: more space. So if that, know, if you have that secondary, like let's say it's a loft, that means there's stairs involved. Older people do not like the stairs, right? We don't want the stairs. Allison: No. No, you want single level, you want zero step entries into your showers, you want wide hallways and doors to get the you know possi the walkers, possibly a wheelchair, even the motorized scooters, ⁓ no slip flooring. There's so many things. And actually, aging in place is very different than having a mother-in-law suite ⁓ at your property. And we won't go into it today necessarily, Nikki, but you know, Nikki's ⁓ living, got parents living. In her house right now, and there is no mother-in-law suite. So ⁓ it it's not as it's not as great as it seems. So aging in place for as long as possible is good. So ⁓ am very easily able to share ⁓ listing now. Tell me if you see it up here ⁓ the ⁓ screen. Okay, so I'm gonna ⁓ flip through some of the pictures that get me. Look how pretty that is. ⁓ my goodness, ⁓ at that. Sue Pinky Benson: Yes ma'am. Yes ma'am. Yes, it's a 3500 living square foot home. So this is a big house. A lot of the space is in the sunroom. Like I said, here's the kitchen. So let's take a peek at this kitchen for a moment. So you'll see right there that the countertop is a secondary countertop with sink. Okay. So someone could roll right up there. Allison: Yes it is. Sue Pinky Benson: and cook, you know, have their own sink to wash the vegetables, the fruit, whatever, start to prepare the meal, because you have plenty of counter, you know, counter space. The faucet is even adjustable. So, you know, if you needed to move it over, yeah. So, I mean, they have thought of everything there. And you can see even underneath, there is a section for, ⁓ that is a removable, but that's. Allison: ⁓ I see. Yeah. Sue Pinky Benson: for their own utensils so they don't have to go over to another area of the kitchen to get the utensils. So very thought, and she's won awards for this kitchen, just so you know, for the functionality of this kitchen for aging in place and multi-generation. Okay, yes, so now we have two conventional ovens. They are side by side and instead of opening... Allison: Very nice. That's a Yes. And so over here. Sue Pinky Benson: from top to bottom, like a traditional oven, they actually open from the sides all the way over. So it gives you, they can just roll right up. It's not as intimidating if you're pulling it down and trying to get it. It's a little easier to manipulate from that angle. Allison: Yeah, you can see that the I'm putting the ⁓ pointer there for the ⁓ handles, right? So got one there and one there. those are nice. ⁓ you can get a little closer view. Sue Pinky Benson: There's the oven. Yeah. And that's the oven, the stove top, I should say. I keep calling it oven. mean, I should say stove top. The stove top goes up and down there. There's a little button on the right-hand side that allows it to ⁓ easily move. No issues whatsoever. And she has beautiful taste. She's got imported Japanese pool tiles on the backsplash there. So, and she is so particular that all of those little tiles in the backsplash, I just have to point out, they're all perfectly aligned. Allison: Ha ha. Yeah. Sue Pinky Benson: Okay, so if that tells you anything about what she's like mentally and putting all of this together, she is on it. Okay, so. Allison: So this cooktop, Sue, this cooktop goes a little up and down with those buttons right there. Sue Pinky Benson: Yes, that button right there will move it all the way up so that it is countertop, just like it would normally be. And then it comes down, should you need to adjust it for someone who may be sitting. Allison: Got it. Got it. That makes sense. Wow, that's awesome. Okay. And then I'm gonna scooch here. ⁓ sorry, I missed something here. Sue Pinky Benson: This is the pantry. If you go back to the pantry for a second, you can just wait for a second. The pantry, it's actually a very wide closet. So they have full access to a pantry. It's not a small pantry. I mean, it's full access so he could roll right in there. All of the shelving is adjustable, which is super important. If you have different heights of someone being able to reach what they need to reach so they can adjust the width. the, what do you call it? The shelves as much as possible, as often as they want or need. Allison: Got it. And then we have this Sue Pinky Benson: This is the beautiful sunroom. This is the beautiful sunroom. So something to note are those ⁓ roll-in areas. So you have the ramps. They are completely removable, which is important because some people may not feel like they, know, ⁓ I don't want that just yet. I'm not ready for it. Whatever. You can remove them, bring them back, but it has the ramps there. So that's a great attribute as well. This is the sunroom again. Yeah, we got a lot of the sunroom because it's a big space. ⁓ Allison: It's beautiful. Sue Pinky Benson: Let's talk about the carpet just for a second. So a lot of people don't think about this with aging in place, all right? But the carpet here is a commercial grade carpet. And why that's important to note is that you know how when you put your furniture down on carpet, it leaves that indentation, right? So if you're in like a motorized chair or anything with a huge amount of weight, what do you think it's gonna do to the carpet? We've all seen it. It's gonna have the indentations. this carpet looks like it's brand new. Allison: With the Yes. Yeah. Sue Pinky Benson: because it is so well maintained from that commercial grade. Because it does not, it doesn't have that extra fluffy feel, you know, and I'm not saying that it's uncomfortable because it's not, it's not that. It's just that it is going to withstand more of that pressure than you would with regular carpet. So we're looking at the long-term benefits of having something like commercial grade carpet to help. And it, you know, it's also easier to move across as well. Allison: Yeah, I could see that for sure. ⁓ yeah, you don't want to get you don't want to get your ⁓ walker ⁓ caught in a a groove ⁓ going somewhere in the shag. No, you definitely don't. If there's something that I'm missing in this picture, let me know. Or I shall go. I know ⁓ when we get to the bathroom, there's some good, very tastefully done items in the bathroom. I have Sue Pinky Benson: Shag. It's a shag. Shag carpet. Nope, I think we're okay. Yeah. And you can see, like, okay, if we would talk about the closet for a minute here, here we go. So this is one of the two primary closets that are in this home. Again, you're gonna have the wide entrance, right? The extra wide entrance. But if you see those things in the back there, those are pull downs for clothing. So, you know, even if you're, let's just say, vertically challenged and you can't always reach those really ⁓ tall stuff, like your jackets and things that you might have up there and you gotta go get the stuff Allison: Right there. Sue Pinky Benson: ladder to pull them down. This you just pull it down and you can pull any of those top things easily down to you so you don't have to get the ladder out or anything like that. So it's super, super ⁓ easy to use. again, it's important I feel to someone who's living in the home who doesn't have, if they have the ability to do it, but they can't do it. you know, it's giving them that independence. Like, ⁓ I can still get that off, right? Like I can still pull that down and get to it. And I think that that's, you know, having had parents that went through this, that independence factor is so important to them. They don't want to bother anyone. So the more options they have to be able to take care of themselves is awesome. This is Marybeth. Allison: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Sue Pinky Benson: You can see obviously it's wheelchair accessible over there. has the handrails as well. That particular sink on the right hand side is going to be lower. So it is a roll up sink as well. So ⁓ that's a great attribute as well. ⁓ But you see, I think here's the important part to note with this aging in place home is that aesthetically it's very pleasing. It is not medical. looking. You know, you don't have that, I'm in a facility or anything like that. Yes, you do have the wheelchair accessibility there in the bathroom, but that's needed, right? But overall, is a very visually pleasing property. Allison: Right. It looks like the the ⁓ the the pedestal, I don't know, it's a toilet. I hate to say the word toilet. ⁓ it looks like it's higher. I know, I know, like I don't know why I'm scared to say the word. I just I feel like the pedestal, the water closet. I don't even know. The John. It seems it seems higher. It seems a little higher, and I bet it is. Okay. Got it. Cause you know, when when Sue Pinky Benson: You know what it is. Were you gonna say John there, Allison? John, that John? Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yes. Now the next one should be the shower, I'm hoping, because... Okay. So it's a little hard to tell with this picture, but if you watch the full 20 minute walkthrough video, I go through everything. This is a linear shower drain roll-in. So you roll in, so there is no little lip that they have to step down or step up. It is roll-in accessible, linear drain, so you don't have the water going everywhere. It's just going to go right down the drain. Allison: Yes. Sue Pinky Benson: You obviously have the support rails on the side. The other factor is this is a remote controlled shower. So you from your bed can program it and say, okay, this is the temperature I like, this is the pressure I like, and you can hit it and get it started and then roll right in and enjoy. And if you're, let's say you're not in a wheelchair and you're standing up straight, you still have that whole remote control attribute. You just gotta be able to remember what number you are on. the remote control. Allison: Nice, nice. ⁓ we like that. I think have we kind of hit ⁓ well here's another one. Here's another. I mean it's still very attractive. Look how nicely this is decorated in this bathroom here with ⁓ Sue Pinky Benson: Yes, yes. And you know what? This entire home comes the way you see it. So if you like the decor, is it all. It's what we could say turnkey and turnkey in Naples means everything right down to, you know, the toaster oven in the kitchen is going to come with it. So everything you see comes with it. So there is one section of this house. So and this is the thing. It's four bedrooms. There is one section that has its own that last guest bedroom or guest bathroom and bedroom. Allison: ⁓ wow. Sue Pinky Benson: they are ⁓ not wheelchair accessible. So there's one section that is not, yeah, that one. ⁓ So, you know, it's not completely wheelchair accessible, but if you go to the garage, ⁓ there we go. ⁓ Allison: I see. Okay. Did I pass it? I did. I passed it. Sorry. There we go. ⁓ I see the ramp in the garage there. Sorry about that. Sue Pinky Benson: That's okay. Yeah, there is a ramp in the garage. They actually retrofitted this garage. So when they bought it, nothing was wheelchair accessible and the garage was on the other side where that window is. And so they... Allison: Mm-hmm. Sue Pinky Benson: they moved that out so they could have an extra wide garage for the car because guess what? The car needs to be wheelchair accessible as well, right? Like it has to be outfitted. So for his motorized vehicle or motorized scooter. And so they had to have the extra space. So they redid the entire garage to make it wheelchair accessible, motorized scooter accessible, whatever you want to say. Allison: Right. That's nice. Sue Pinky Benson: Yeah, but you can see what the doors, the doors are extra wide. This is another little attribute that I think, ⁓ the doors, all the doors in the house. But if you go to the next one, it's the ⁓ standby generator, okay? In Florida, we may not think, you you're obviously worried about hurricanes. And, you know, with aging in place in Florida, we do need to think about if a storm came. Allison: the Yep. Sue Pinky Benson: you know, if they're on oxygen or they're on something that requires a plug in for their medicine, you know, some sort of health relic, having that standby generator to know that it goes right on the minute that, you know, anything, any electricity goes off is such, such a feeling of and release and like, okay, like ⁓ don't have to worry about getting him to somewhere else. We have the abilities here. Allison: How isn't that property awesome, guys? I mean Julie Cook, Generational Transitions: It's amazing. They thought of everything. That's really, and you're right, it's all of the all of the safety features, but in such a beautiful setting where you can enjoy it with your family. It's wonderful. Sue Pinky Benson: Yeah, it's definitely multi-generational. So you could have, you know, both the older generation there, and then you could have the younger all feeling like they're contributing to the household, which I think is really important because it's a mental state, right? Like we all want to feel like we're part of that tribe. Allison: Yeah. Julie Cook, Generational Transitions: Beautiful. Allison: I love it. Nikki, are you still with us? I I ⁓ feel like it's ⁓ the tet the it ⁓ Nikki Flynn: Yes, I am. I am, I am. I was ⁓ my mind was going through all the the things. Julie Cook, Generational Transitions: Nikki would like that house. Allison: You look a a little frozen, but I I but I th I've been having that issue all day with ⁓ with my computer. It's been been acting up, so I know it's on my end. But ⁓ mean, ⁓ just to kind of you recap here all the that we we talked about. I mean the Nikki Flynn: Okay. Allison: Fall prevention, bathroom accessibility, convenience, wide doorways, wide hallways, big closets. gosh, I mean, ⁓ in place. If we could, I mean, some homes you can't retrofit that stuff, especially not the way that it's done there. but are certainly things you can do. But if you want a property that is already ⁓ ready in Florida, Sue Benson has property. Clearly ⁓ you can she she does Sue Pinky Benson: Yes, I do. You know though, Allison, if you are in a property and you want to see if your parents can stay in the property and you want to get it retrofitted, ⁓ would encourage you to Google aging in place specialists because they do have construction people that are specialized in this niche that can come out and retrofit the home. So that's also a really good option to look into if mom and dad want to stay in the home a little longer and you feel that they just need a little help right now. Like we've talked about certain levels, you know, obviously they're going to need a little bit more help than that. But aging and place specialists ⁓ are in the construction business, that that's where they specialize. Allison: I think so many times, ⁓ Sue you and I probably see properties where, you know, people've done their best to try and their families age in in place, you know, but slapping suction cup bar next to the toilet or in the shower, ⁓ you that doesn't that really doesn't work for very long because it's not sturdy, it's not stable ⁓ and really have to put a little bit more thought behind it and and you have to spend a little money doing it. ⁓ But ⁓ mean, you do it and do it right the first time, then ⁓ your loved one probably stay in the home a much longer time ⁓ than they ever was possible. And ⁓ you know, surely someone can do it in this house. Nikki, did you have anything to add or ⁓ would you like to have ⁓ the number of any aging in place person to come visit your home? Nikki Flynn: Actually, yes. ⁓ so I kind of like what Sue was just mentioning about like, you know, being able, if you wanted to retrofit your home, now that is something that some Medicare policies will cover is some of the home care, the installing of the bars and whatnot. So before the family starts having that discussion, of course, when there's an emergency and they fall. Allison: Ha ha ha. Nikki Flynn: And they can no longer walk on their own and they need the around the clock care. Okay, then we can't talk about them staying at home unless you're going to have a full-time caregiver, come live with them. But if we're in the discussion where your parents are perfectly capable of being able to live on their own right now, and you want to just say, Hey, mom, dad, let's sit down and talk. What do you think about you know this as an option? And you start planning for it, you can strategically kind of have that conversation and plan for it now. And start doing the renovations. And that way, if it's needed, you don't have to worry about, ⁓ we have to sell everything, we have to put them in a home. They can gracefully age in place in that home. And we don't have to worry about finding a renter to get into there. We don't have to worry about, you know, bleeding through their savings to be able to pay for the facility. So there's just a little bit of a window where we can have those discussions. And then there is some assistance that'll help pay for that as well. Some of the Medicare policies will pay for the home installation on the handlebars in the shower facilities, ⁓ in the bathrooms, stuff like that. Some of the ramps, there are some policies that will help with that. So if that is an option that they're wanting to do, great. Let's look at, you know, do we need to refinance? Do we need to take some equity out of the home? To do like what Sue was mentioning, the full rebuild on the inside to make it easier. Let's get some help from our Medicare insurance policy, whatever we have, Humana, Aetna, Blue Cross, whatever that might be. Let's look and see what they'll chip in and have that conversation and start planning for it. So if that need comes in, maybe it's just a little bit of a caregiver, like time-wise couple hours a day, we're not going into a full-blown facility just yet. Allison: I love that. I love that so much. If you have any questions for any one of us, ⁓ our contact information will be in the description below. And remember, if you are listening to this as a true podcast on Spotify or another streaming service, make sure that you visit us ⁓ the YouTube channel Aging Parent Trap ⁓ X, then you can look at all of the photographs that we were discussing. ⁓ I put a link to the property ⁓ in pinned comment as well as the walk. through tour that Sue mentioned and all of her contact information as well. Thanks for watching.