Most of us don’t really think about or like to think about aging, deteriorating, or becoming dependent, so much so that we often forget to consider what happens if a family member becomes dependent on us. Am I right? Most of us are so busy trying to keep up with our hectic lives that we fail to plan for when our elderly loved ones start to decline or are no longer able to meet their own needs.

Unfortunately, I learned the hard way what happens when you wait until a crisis to take action; I learned firsthand how situations change quickly and dramatically, and not only for your loved one, but for your entire family. But you can plan ahead with aging parents resources.

My story begins like this. My father was 90 years old, living alone and fending pretty well for himself.He was very social and loved sharing fun times with his grandchildren, family, neighbors and friends. In January of 2007, my father became very sick with pneumonia, which landed him in the hospital for 10 days or so. He was discharged and sent back to his home, where he would receive in-home rehabilitation therapy.

Pneumonia really changed my fathers’ lifestyle, energy and mental state, which in turn changed how my brother and I kept an eye on him. We encouraged him not to drive any longer, which was difficult for my dad and one more step toward losing hold of his independence. We needed to ensure that he was taking his medications properly and on time, eating right, drinking enough fluids and bathing. We had to worry about things like getting him out to socialize and maintaining his home, the list goes on and on.

Obviously, my dad needed more assistance than we could provide with our own busy lives to manage. We juggled our daily schedules with work, children and dad’s care. We brought in private help a few days a week, but even then we continued to worry every day and night. We tried to be there as much as our days allowed us, feeling sad and guilty each time we left his house.

This went on for a full year until my dad fell ill with pneumonia again, nearly fatally this time, and back in the hospital he went. Dad remained in the hospital for several weeks and when his doctor wanted to discuss discharge, there was one major change. They wanted my father discharged straight into a nursing home! My brother and I looked at each other in disbelief, did we hear him correctly? It can’t be. Not our dad. We were thrown into crisis mode; we were confused and overwhelmed; we had to so many questions: Where do we start? Who do we talk to? What questions should we ask? From there, we started a new chapter in our lives. The next three years were a roller coaster ride.

Because of my family’s experience I was inspired to begin researching the different ways in which I could help other families when faced with similar circumstances. How could I help families make informed and logical decisions out of emotionally charged situations, alleviate some of their worry, narrow down the countless phone calls, and help them come up with and find answers to more specific questions? Well, between my one and a half years of research and personal experiences with my dad, I was driven to create a company called A Senior’s Choice.

A Senior’s Choice, my inspiration and passion, assists families in becoming proactive in the planning of care and safe living conditions that can accommodate the constant changes that occur as we age. We are your transition specialists. We provide families with the proper resources needed for the physical, mental and financial changes we are faced with and by doing this we help create peace of mind for everyone involved.

Of course there are times when a crisis unexpectedly happens, and in those situations we take you by the hand and immediately introduce and connect you to the best options that are available for the needs of your loved one and your family. There is no need for each family to reinvent the wheel when faced with a crisis. We are already well-versed in the many different avenues of senior care, from in home care to the various levels of assistance in senior living communities.

For more information go to www.aseniorschoiceonline.com or call Clare Colamaria at (518) 424-2527.