Should you sell your home, or modify it
to accommodate your needs? BY SUE WEBBER • CONTRIBUTING WRITER Anne Saatela lost her mother, father and sister within a two-year period, and was faced with deciding what to do with a houseful of possessions. “I didn’t know where to turn, whether I should fix the house up or not,” she said. Working as a real estate agent in 2006, she came up with a plan for helping families like hers. She established a senior transition team that will clear out the contents of a home, find people to conduct inspections, make updates and repairs, and ultimately put the home on the market for sale. She has continued her work with senior citizen relocations since becoming an independent contractor at Keller Williams in Eagan in 2008. Her group advises people who are interested in selling their homes to first select and remove the sentimental items they want to take with them. “We’ll offer suggestions on where to relocate,” Saatela said. “We’re familiar with 50 or 60 senior facilities.” Her team sometimes even arranges for an estate sale. “We determine what needs to be done [to the house], we get estimates, we coordinate the work, we arrange for cleaning crews to clean the home top to bottom, and we put it on the market,” she said. “We’re the only company in the Twin Cities to do things to the extent that we do. We have a remodeling crew. We’ll even coordinate the move so we’re there while they pack up the senior citizen and then we go to the senior facility and put the bed together for them. It’s very fulfilling.” Her group also works with homeowners who are hoarders, but they have to be out of the house, Saatela said, adding, “We’re not hoarders’ therapists.” Her group doesn’t charge for its coordination services, just the commission on the sale of the home, Saatela said. “As the years have progressed, there are some other Keller agents who have decided to help se-
niors,” she said. “They, too, are independent contractors like me, but I don’t believe they take it to the extreme we do,” she said Because so many senior citizens want to age in place, sometimes what’s needed is an in-home modification. That’s where Ability Solutions comes in. The Burnsville company installs stair lifts and also remodels bathtubs so they are accessible. Such adaptations may be less expensive than a Realtor’s fees. “Some seniors aren’t able to manage the stairs any more, or their family calls because the senior citizen is afraid of falling,” said Karen Petrone, office manager at Ability Solutions. Jack Benke of Real Estate Opportunities, Inc., says many seniors opt for a home assessment to determine whether they can or should remain in their home, whether it makes sense to make improvements to adapt the home to their needs, or whether a lifestyle change is needed. “We help aging adults,” Benke said. “People love their independence and want to stay in their own homes as long as possible. We try to work out the best lifestyle we can with the money available.” Benke said many senior citizens haven’t sold or purchased a home for 20 years or more, and find that roofs and windows at their current residence need to be replaced before a sale can occur. Sometimes a reverse mortgage can be useful if improvements can be made to fit the changes in lifestyle. “It’s a phenomenal and very misunderstood tool,” said Benke, who has a background in estate planning. “AARP and others approach it as a last resort, but I feel it’s the first thing to explore. It’s at least worth a conversation. It’s another bucket of money to draw from. It takes an effort for people to sit down with a professional and make sure they understand it, but I hate to see it ruled out because of lack of information.” HOME - TO PAGE 4
Page 2 Mature Lifestyles • Friday, March 21, 2014
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Mature Lifestyles • Friday, March 21, 2014 Page 3
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Helping seniors age in place, with assistance from family, city BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER Aging in place is the new mantra for many senior citizens. They want to be able to stay in their homes as long as possible. But another option is sometimes possible, or even desirable. Sixteen years ago, Willard Eggan, then a 77-year-old builder who had constructed many homes in Eden Prairie, was living in a large home with his wife, Beulah. They decided to downsize to a double bungalow, but even that seemed to be too much for them. At about the same time, their son Terry Eggan and his wife, Nancy Vest, were about to build their dream home in Eden Prairie. Terry, a Realtor, came up with the idea of the two couples sharing the new home. So Terry and Nancy built a separate wing at their new home for Terry’s parents, complete with laundry, kitchen and their own private entrance. “My in-laws were quite independent then, and it worked beautifully,� Nancy said. “They were still driving, and they had an active social life. There were times when I would walk in the door after work and my mother-in-law would have a roast beef dinner waiting for us.� The secret to the living arrangement “working beautifully,� Nancy said, was maintaining personal spaces and boundaries. “We could have dinner together and hang out together, but then I could go to my own space,� she said. As it turned out, the first eight years were easy. But then, Nancy said, “We had to step up and be caregivers.� Trained as a social worker with a background in home health care, Nancy said, “Usually one child in the family comes forward to do that. The care can be quite complicated. It gets very intimate. You have to be able to switch roles [and ‘parent’ your parents], and it’s hard.� Her husband really stepped up to the plate as “someone you would want as your advocate,� Nancy said. “He is a busy Realtor, but he has been so focused on making sure his parents are comfortable and well cared for,� she said. “He keeps track of their blood pressures, their weights, their medications and what they’re eating.� Her mother-in-law died at the age of 92 in the spring of 2013, after several
years in hospice care. “Willard and Beulah were blessed,� Nancy said. “They were married for 72 years and had a lovely, long life.� Her father-in-law, now 93, is in hospice care, too. But he’s still at the Eggans’ home, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. “That is his wish, and it’s our wish, too,� Nancy said. “We were serious about this; it’s been a labor of love for us,� said Nancy, who first met the Eggans when she was 13-years-old. “They were good to me when I was a kid,� she said. “It’s a privilege to take care of someone you love. We wanted to give them as much dignity as possible.� The family has used a variety of home care services to assist Willard and Beulah in the last eight years. Now, one of Willard’s granddaughters has volunteered to move into his living quarters at the Eggan’s home to care for him, Nancy said. As the numbers of senior citizens increase, the number of older adults who need to adapt their living arrangements or receive help also increases. In Bloomington, for example, 15,218 residents are over the age of 65, according to the 2010 census. That amounts to 18.36 percent of the city’s total population. The median year for home construction in Bloomington is 1969, meaning that many older owners of 40-plus year-old homes may need repairs or help with maintenance. For senior citizens who may be disabled and/or living on a fixed income, such work is daunting and may require a little help. Bryan Hartman, the program manager for the Bloomington Housing and Redevelopment Authority, said the city offers home improvement loans. “We have money available right now, and we serve a lot of seniors,� Hartman said. “We offer the loans city-wide and are actively seeking applications.� Typical projects for which the money is used include new roofs, windows or siding, and installation or repair of air conditioning or furnaces to make them more energy efficient. The city of Bloomington also contracts with outreach groups, such as Senior Community Resources at Creekside Community Center, to which it refers older adults who need help with snow
shoveling or lawn mowing. The city is able to refer seniors to transportation services, and food and meal programs that offer socialization with others in addition to rides and nutritious menus. One of the available outside resources is Household & Outside Maintenance for Elderly (HOME), which provides a variety of affordable services to help seniors ages 60 and older to continue to live independently in their homes. Alyssa Kriesel, one of HOME’s program coordinators, said volunteers are available to assist seniors with homemaking chores such as laundry, house cleaning, errands and grocery shopping. Help is also available for lawn mowing and snow removal, raking, window washing, minor repairs that don’t require a licensed plumber or electrician, and interior and exterior painting. “We work with volunteers from all
kinds of different organizations, groups, schools and corporations,� Kriesel said. “Volunteers sign up to help, the organizations contact us and we coordinate with our clients.� Seniors contribute to the cost of the service based on their monthly income and ability to pay. Deb Hoger, a licensed social worker at Senior Outreach and Caregiver Services in Bloomington, said transportation, finances and personal care are primary concerns for many senior citizens that often make it necessary to consider alternate housing for them. “We set up appointments to meet with seniors and their families to look at the whole picture and work out a plan,� Hoger said. “Sometimes families and seniors don’t even know where to begin. We help seniors to find answers. We’ll go out to their homes and help them assess the situation.�
Information: Senior Outreach and Caregiver Services, 952-767-7890; HOME, 952-746-4046.
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Page 4 Mature Lifestyles • Friday, March 21, 2014
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Before and after photos show how Anne Saatela’s Senior Service team in Eagan helps to prepare homes for sale. (Submitted photo)
Home FROM PAGE 1 A reverse mortgage is a loan available to homeowners who are 62 years or older that enables them to convert part of the equity in their home into cash while still living there. It is called a reverse mortgage because instead of making monthly payments to a lender, as with a traditional mortgage, the lender makes payments to the borrower.
You are not required to pay back the loan until the home is sold or otherwise vacated. As long as you live in the home, you are not required to make any monthly payments toward the loan balance, but you must remain current on your property taxes, homeowners insurance and condominium fees (if you live in a condominium). Other times senior citizens decide to move to be closer to their children, to interact with people their own age, to be closer to shopping or because their
neighborhood has changed. More and more out of economic necessity, multigenerational living is making a resurgence, Benke said. “Some parents have no trouble sharing space if they have in-law space,” Benke said. Such arrangements have the added benefit of offering grandparents access to their children and grandchildren, in return for help with babysitting, meals and expenses. Multigenerational living is a challenge for cities because of zoning, Benke said.
“Cities are very reluctant to allow a home to be remodeled to give the appearance of two families,” he said. “It will be necessary to allow larger footprints on existing space.” Benke encourages seniors to opt for changes in advance, while their health is good and they have the energy to make changes. “It’s good to take a look at it early on, before the need arises,” Benke said. “We can’t predict what will happen, but we can prepare for it.”
Mature Lifestyles • Friday, March 21, 2014 Page 5
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Page 6 Mature Lifestyles • Friday, March 21, 2014
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‘Joining My Journey’ program helps dementia residents BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER Living with or caring for someone with dementia has sometimes been called “the long goodbye.” But in the last year, Copperfield Hill in Robbinsdale has found a way to assist its 50 residents with dementia, along with their families, in that dayto-day challenge. “Joining My Journey,” a program for dementia residents, involves gathering an in-depth history from the family so caregivers will know everything about the patient. “Dementia causes a great deal of anxiety in the individual, so by being able to go back to a time that they remember, they feel safer, accepted and understood in the present,” said Naomi Farr, whose husband, Darrel, built Copperfield Hill. “This has proved to be a wonderful and therapeutic program. The families are also included and educated on how to relate to their loved one who may not remember yesterday but is crystal clear on something that happened 50 years ago.” The “old way” of dealing with dementia patients, Farr said, was to redirect a person with memory loss – to try to “drag them back into reality.” “But the fact is that their reality is 40 years ago,” she said. “To do anything else agitates the person. Our reality isn’t theirs. We need to step into their reality.” For example, a Copperfield Hill resident a few years ago who had been a farmer became extremely agitated at 4 p.m. every day, and nothing seemed to calm him, Farr said. “He wanted to get up and get going,” she said. After talking with family members, the staff learned that the patient had been accustomed to milking the cows each day at 4 p.m. “Once we found that out, we could assure him that someone else would be taking care of the milking that day,” Farr said. “It calmed him right down.” The “Joining My Journey” concept was original with Copperfield Hill in that the facility wrote the program, Farr said. Other memory care facilities may be doing something similar, but “not to the degree we do,” she said.
Photo illustration Copperfield Hill staff meets with each patient’s family prior to move-in to get a history of the individual’s life journey, Farr said. After the patient moves in, one aide is assigned to work primarily with that resident. “We have the same aides take care of individuals; they get comfortable with faces,” Farr said. “The worst thing for a person with dementia is change. They often have a lot of fears. Nothing is more frightening to them than to move. It turns their world upside down.” Staff receives in-depth special train-
ing, and they are asked to read the family histories for every dementia patient, Farr said, particularly the individuals who are in their care. “We do everything we can to get to know our residents,” she said. “We find out what they like to eat. Even our [food] servers know the story of each individual’s life. It has worked extremely well for all of us.” The program is helpful for family members, too, who often don’t know what to talk about when they visit someone with dementia.
“This really helps the family understand the journey,” Farr said. “They can join in it, too.” “The response we get from patients is that it calms them and makes them comfortable,” Farr said. “That tells me the program is working. We have way fewer behavior issues.” Tim Jackson, whose mother, Verna, is a resident in the Memory Care program, said, “There are lots of activities and outings for memory care residents that my mother enjoys, but she really lights up when there is live musical entertainment. She be-bops and dances around and loves to sing along. She sang in the church choir and I think it brings her back to that moment.” The care of senior citizens evolved naturally for Farr and her husband, a real estate developer, she said. “In the early 1980s, Darrel saw senior housing coming,” she said. “Robbinsdale is an aging community with a great need for that kind of housing. Senior housing is as much about family as it is about the individual who needs care.” Darrel Farr built Copperfield Hill in 1985, when his mother was in the market for senior care. “His dad had died, and his mother was in a regular apartment,” Farr said. “She didn’t drive. Darrel considered her needs and wants.” His mother was a resident at Copperfield Hill for 14 years before she died. Farr eventually built 22 senior communities. Currently, the family business includes daughters Lucinda and Ashley and operates under the name Pope Bucknell Co. They own and manage three facilities: Copperfield Hill in Robbinsdale, one in Maple Grove and another in Austin, Minn. Senior housing has become Naomi Farr’s passion, too, she said. “Copperfield Hill is definitely my baby; I’ll never be away from it,” she said. “My one big overriding goal is to give purpose to each person every single day, including those in memory care. We have one veteran who puts the flag out every day. That gives him a reason to get out of bed every morning.” Copperfield Hill’s location on Highway 81, not far from Interstate 394 and Highway 100, is convenient to a lot of its residents’ children, Farr said
Mature Lifestyles â&#x20AC;˘ Friday, March 21, 2014 Page 7
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Page 8 Mature Lifestyles â&#x20AC;˘ Friday, March 21, 2014
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