Senior Living after RVing

[Carolinagal]

Not liking your response all that much, Mitch. First off, lady you are NOT OLD. Boobs or no Boobs, has nothing to do with the person that you are. One thing you know you are not the only one without these days, every one is in the news telling they have none. Years ago might have been a different story, you might have the right then to think you were not up to par, but boobs have nothing to do with who and how a person lives. Only if they allow their mind to go that route and you are a smarter person then that. Your huge scare and what you have been through guess your thoughts and feelings are still not sure where they're going. Keep this in mind, you had some biggies and had some good times with them, some have never had any, and still had good times and you can again. So don't be thinking down ok, give yourself a chance to realize you are still the same person and we all love you, and not all men, worth anything, will care at 60 if you have boobs or what. You might be lucky if he doesn't have to take Viagra

Love you Lady, you are one strong person and soon your mind will kick in and you will realize you are a wonderful person for anyone to call friend,
a tiny and very pretty person too, so there !!!!!!!!!!
CArol

[IrishIroamed]

Wow hot topic! I too, have no one to take care of me, now or later. If not done sooner, when retirement finally does come around, I plan on getting long term insurance, pre-planned funeral, etc. Part of my 'see the USA' plan is to also check out retirement areas, including centers with progressive care (i.e active adult to limited care to full care services).

It's a necessity to think about, the sad part is knowing I'd be alone at the end. But, I always say God doesn't give me more than I can handle.

[mitch5252]

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Aw, thanks CArol!

I'm surprised how many of us are having the same thoughts about our "futures"...very interesting. Kinda scary, too.
We gotta get The Blue Marlin Senior Living Resort off the ground!

I guess the first step is to get Pedro his green card...who's willing to marry him?

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[JoanE]

Here in Sarasota, the decent ALFs cost about $3500 per month plus more if you need daily living services. The one that my exDH chose is $3950 all inclusive. His LTC will pay $3330 per month and he will contribute the balance. They provide a one bedroom apt, 3 meals a day (good food, we had lunch), 24 hr nursing on site or call, weekly housekeeping and linen change, transportation to doctors plus area stores and entertainment, physical therapy and numerous activities. Today was Octoberfest with German beer and music.

If you can, purchase a LTC policy. You want one that increases the benefit amount over time. Also know your eligibility period (# of days before it pays), how many years it will pay out, when you stop paying premiums and what is covered. Don't assume you are too old to purchase one and buy from a well known, trusted name. We purchased my ex's from Ameriprise.

Medicaid is not a plan. It is a safety net with holes.

If you or a loved one served during war time, there are also VA benefits that help with long term care. Investigate. Don't assume you/they do not qualify. It may take a year or more to process successfully, but it is available.

BE VERY WARY ABOUT SIGNING OVER ASSETS TO CHILDREN, FRIENDS, ETC OR ADDING THEIR NAME TO BANK ACCOUNTS. People are honest when there are controls in place. It is amazing who will steal when the opportunity is too easy.

Looking into ALFs was an eye opener for me. You might want to visit a few and ask questions. There is an organization that I think provides free help. A Place for Mom. I didn't confirm that but the name came up in my search.

Back up plan is the Blue Marlin. Lots of fun there, I've heard.

[monik7]

BUT I'd prefer to spend it with friends - supporting each other, laughing & chatting as we do here. I really do like the idea of a senior RV community where we have our own places but still will have each other to lean on. What do we need to do to make this happen?

I was thinking the same thing Catherine. I can see it now: a special report on 60 Minutes about a determined bunch of women RVers who chose to spend their later years in a shared community of mutual support and friendship. But how in the world would we pick a location where everyone would want to live? We all seem so tied to "home." How would someone from the north feel about the south or how would a Californian like I am feel about a snowy or humid environment? Oh well, it sure would be fun. I sure wouldn't mind seeing the Blue Marlin. Sounds like a great place.
Sandi

[JudyJB]

Another thing you can do is to set up calling circles. Some communities already have them, but you can set one up informally yourself. Person A calls Person B every morning at a particular time. Person B then calls Person C, and Person C calls Person D, and so on. Everyone gets one call a day and makes one call. With cell phones, this can even be long distance.

Then you set up some sort of procedure like the following: If someone does not answer, then you wait half an hour and call again. If again no answer, you call police or relative.

This way you all get checked on and no one has to depend on kids or relatives.

You also let someone know if you are going to do something dumb, like climbing on a ladder or taking a hike. That person calls you in an hour if you do not call them after whatever thing is finished.

[MelissaD]

I want to die in my sleep like grandpa. Not screaming like everyone else in the car.

Use to work as a cook in a Retirement Community (nursing home, assisted living, condos type place). Don't really want to end up in one of those places. On the nursing home side people were just waiting till the end. Very depressing. By the way, I don't know what they spent all that money on cause the pay in the kitchen did not reflect what the residents were paying.

Now and then you see the coroner show up at a truck stop. Some ole driver laid down to take a nap and never woke up.

I'd like to RV to my hearts content and then just not wake up one day.

[judi]

I've been thinking about this a lot since this thread started. I just may end up in the Eskaton place in Grass Valley that my mom is in now. I have kids in Portland, the Bay area, and southern California. Grass Valley would be easily accessible to all of my kids, and it's a beautiful area. I do love Portland so much, but maybe when you get to that point it's more important to around family. On the other hand, I would love to be in a situation where people have their private little cottages, and a main building with group facilities. Instead of the typical retirement homes, people could own their own space and co-own the shared areas. The people could have someone who cleans, and handyman on call, someone to provide transportation, and someone to help in the garden, which of course have fresh vegetables. I volunteer to design a place for us - it could have cottages and RV sites. It could be fun!

[Aokay]

This IS an interesting thread and gets one to thinking. I know I am guilty of not putting as much thought into what lies down the road as I should. I guess when the body is still holding up pretty well, it's easy to put plans such as these on the shelf for later attention but in reality sometimes there is no warning so no time to make plans for your well being. You can then be at someone else's mercy to make those plans for you. I think a couple of my kids would want what is best for me but then there are a couple I think who would just want to take the money and run!!

It seems a lot of us have been caretakers for a parent or are presently caring for one so we know pretty much what is in store for us. My mom lived to be 97 and for the last 10 years of her life she went from independent living to assisted living and finally to a nursing home. In my opinion, there is nothing about a nursing home that is appealing in any sense of the word. The other alternative of living with one of my children is equally distasteful soooo what is plan C if one lives long enough?

My friend had a great idea. Build a structure in the shape of a flower with 8 petals. The center of the flower would be a commons area with living room, kitchen and dining to share. Each petal or wing would have a bedroom and bath. If 8 people pooled their money together, it seems like a doable solution. Each person has their on wing but would meet in the center for meals and socializing. And if enough money was pooled, it would have a fulltime nurse and cook. Okay, Judi...get busy on this design!

[havingfunnow]

People do seem to be talking about two different stages of old age here. The first is when you no longer have the energy and/or strength to travel or maintain a home. The second is when your physical and/or mental capacities have deteriorated and you need physical care to live your daily life. Those are very different things!

The first stage is quite manageable, because there are so many choices: living with relatives, living with friends, living in a more formal senior community. Things that seem catastrophic when you're healthy -- like losing your house -- can turn out to be a relief when you're sick and weak. It's also quite astonishing to discover how many people love you and leap in to help you when you can't help yourself.

How do I know this? I'm on full disability. When my life crashed, it really crashed. My heart family saved me in more ways than I can count. There is a happy life even after you have "lost everything".

Planning is good. Worrying is not good.

[Redetotry]

My friend had a great idea. Build a structure in the shape of a flower with 8 petals. The center of the flower would be a commons area with living room, kitchen and dining to share. Each petal or wing would have a bedroom and bath. If 8 people pooled their money together, it seems like a doable solution. Each person has their on wing but would meet in the center for meals and socializing. And if enough money was pooled, it would have a fulltime nurse and cook. Okay, Judi...get busy on this design!

Very interesting thoughts from everyone. Has anyone else read about CoHousing, everyone has their own place but share meals etc.. Judi maybe you could get more design ideas at this link for our new community.

http://www.cohousing.org/what_is_cohousing

[linann]

Wouldn't it be a blessing if a group like this one could start up our own place to retire?

Mitch is on to something. Judi's idea of cottages and RV sites is neat. We stayed at an RV&B that was RV full hook-up sites on a hobby farm. They were built around the large custom barn.

Since getting in an out of an RV may become difficult at some point, a community with cottages, RV sites and maybe an apartment complex would be terrific. After taking care of elderly parents, I know it is important to live with people you care about and have friends of different ages. Help with maintenance would be needed. Perhaps some who are able could consider this a home base and still come and go, until they are not able to go on the road. Wouldn't it be fun to have Blue Marlin resorts across the U.S. Central, SE, SW, NE, NW and West?

[mitch5252]

...It's also quite astonishing to discover how many people love you and leap in to help you when you can't help yourself.

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Amen, sister.
I know that firsthand!
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[IrishIroamed]

It's also quite astonishing to discover how many people love you and leap in to help you when you can't help yourself.

Everyone's situation is different, I need some minor outpatient foot surgery in a month, which may be cancelled because I can't find anyone to drive me to the hospital.

[mitch5252]

It's also quite astonishing to discover how many people love you and leap in to help you when you can't help yourself.

Everyone's situation is different, I need some minor outpatient foot surgery in a month, which may be cancelled because I can't find anyone to drive me to the hospital.

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Check with the hospital social services department...there sometimes are volunteers to do that kind of driving.

I was going to volunteer to do that for women who needed a ride to chemo appointments, but my friend Phyllis thought my driving would not make them feel safe.

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