Helping Senior Parents Move into a New Living Arrangement

It can be a challenge to convince elderly parents that it’s time to move out of their independent living arrangement and into a home shared with family or an assisted living facility. Often, these moves don’t happen until a parent suffers an injury and realizes their vulnerability or suddenly needs help caring for themselves at home. These moves can be an emotionally- and logistically-challenging process. Read on to learn ways to ease the transition into a new home, and contact a seasoned Illinois estate planning attorney for assistance with creating critical end-of-life documents.

Make sure parents feel included in the planning process

Losing your independence when moving in with family or into assisted living can feel infantilizing for seniors. While you may feel convinced that the move is necessary for their well-being, make sure it still feels like a choice on your parents’ behalves to make the move. Present parents with options on where they’ll live, and communicate about timelines for the move clearly, so that they feel some sense of control and ownership over the process.

Consider hiring an estate sale company for help sorting through belongings

Sorting through a generation’s-worth of mementos, furniture, and clothing can feel like an overwhelming task. As an adult child, you may feel like the right person to walk your parents through the process of deciding what to keep, what to sell, and what to donate, but this sorting process may be even more emotionally fraught than you expect. Instead of handling it yourself, consider hiring an estate sale company. Having an outsider’s perspective on which items are worth keeping and which are not can make these choices easier for seniors. Plus, an estate sale of the remaining items can provide some much-needed income to help with the costs of end-of-life care.

Get end-of-life planning documents in order, especially powers of attorney

When elderly parents begin to show a decline in their physical or mental well-being, it’s important to put a power of attorney in place while they retain the ability to agree to one. This way, should their health decline dramatically, either you or someone else of their choosing will have the legal ability to make financial and legal decisions on their behalf. This is also a good time to make sure that your parents’ estate plan is up-to-date and provides an accurate reflection of how they would like their property distributed upon their death.

If you or a loved one are in need of skilled and professional Illinois estate planning services, contact the Chicagoland wills & trusts attorneys at MacDonald, Lee & Senechalle for a consultation, in Hoffman Estates at 847-310-0025, and in Des Plaines at 847-298-5030.