Many times my stories revolve around the child of a senior who hires me to solve a parent’s senior living problems. The terms of my real life story are a little bit different this time.
My clients were a couple ages 80 and 78, respectively. They lived on the east coast, but grew up in the Chicago metro area. Like many grandparents, they wanted to move back to the Chicago suburbs to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
When I met with this couple, I was pleased to find two very polished, excessively independent individuals. One member was still working in an artistic capacity. They were more than open to sharing their financial realities with me. Their annual income was more than ample, and their net worth was well in excess of $1 million. They also had long-term care insurance.
One might think this was a dream case and this couple could go anywhere. Actually, they had consulted with accountants, attorneys, board members from Continuing Care Retirement Communities, and a realtor. They hired me to provide a second opinion of their search. They had toured an exhaustive list of the higher end senior living communities, many of which were lovely from an aesthetic standpoint but awful from the standpoint of intellectual activities. Their wants were simple. They wanted to be in a Continuing Care Retirement Community with other people of their economic stature and interests but had detached, independent living accommodations like a villa or cottage. And, they wanted to have assisted living and skilled nursing care available down the road . They wanted to be close to a superior hospital, and a metro area where they could go downtown and attend plays.
To be honest, when I heard the list of places they had visited, I thought that I was going to be at a loss to help them. They seemed to want their answer now and had narrowed it down to two places; but, confided in me that one was too expensive, and the other had an activity schedule for “fuddy duddies!” But my key to finding the right place for them lied in the fact that the man mentioned three times that he played golf three times a week, and tennis twice a week. I quickly thought of a high-end community located in a suburb nicknamed as “The Golf Center of the World!”
They visited the community the same afternoon, and have gone back a second time to start proceedings to move. I couldn’t imagine that after the number of places they looked at, and the professionals they consulted with that no one else came up with the right answer for them? Who would ever think that finding the right senior community would be found in the word “fore?” Since I have toured and evaluated over 450 communities in the Chicago metro area, I can help you find the right option if you are wealthy, in need of Medicaid, or even a golfer!
For all of your senior living needs, please call Andrea donovan Senrior Living Advisors at (708) 415-2934, or visit our website at www.chicagoseniorlivingadvisors.com.