It has been a tough few weeks for Nanette. My wife’s elderly father lives in Texas and has been experiencing memory loss issues. Trying to talk him into moving to assisted living has been a two-year process. He is a Texan and a former Marine. The idea that he was no longer capable of taking care of his affairs was beyond his comprehension.

The week before Christmas, Nanette and her sister visited their father and had to pile all the ugly evidence on the table at once. After some tears and some laughter, he finally agreed to move.

The assisted living place they chose for him would not have an apartment available for about a month. They left Texas holding their breath that all would be okay until they could help him move.

Unfortunately that is not what happened. A crisis occurred when he got lost in his car, and he was placed by a neighbor into a less desirable assisted living facility without Nanette’s knowledge.

All is well now. He has moved to the better place, but not without an emotional toll on his daughters.

Having to react to his unplanned placement and schedule a quick trip down to move him to the better environment has been very hard on my wife and her sister.

Nanette knows the drill. She’s heard my lectures to prospective residents to “make a plan – it doesn’t matter if it’s John Knox Village or not.  You need to make a plan.” She told her father the same thing. His denial was complete, “nothing is going to happen to me.”

This has been devastating for her. Although he is in a good place now – she feels horribly guilty about putting him through multiple moves. His memory issues have increased, and it’s unlikely he will be able to live outside the memory unit now. Had he moved into assisted living earlier, he might have adjusted better and be able to live independently. We will never know – all because he refused to plan for this possibility.

Moving to John Knox Village when you are independent means you will always be cared for – no matter what the issues are. You will never have to move again. Nanette believes the moves exacerbated her father’s memory issues. I am sure they did.

And if you have a significant other, they can get you the care you need right here. As a caregiver, they can get transportation to doctor’s offices, to the hospital and should one of the couple need skilled nursing care, they stay at John Knox Village.

And when you are a single, your children can rest easy knowing that you are well cared for and safe. I have talked to the children of our residents. They all say the same thing, “Moving to John Knox was the best gift our parents gave us.”

What will your gift to your children look like?

Happy Spring,

Mark Olson, Director of Sales and Marketing