Lima Rotarians shed light on navigating senior care.
Whether you are considering long term care for yourself or for a relative, you probably have many questions about this life-changing move. At Monday's meeting, Jessica Trinko, Executive Director of Lima Convalescent Home and Samantha Kerner, Director of Sales at Springview Manor answered some of the most common questions they receive. Samantha told us that paying for senior living is nothing to get overwhelmed with. "64% of Americans don't believe or don't know if they can afford to move into a senior living community. But if you add up some of your costs of living at home and then add care to that, it's pretty much about the same." The question she hears most often is what people should do when they told their parents they would not put them in a facility but now have no other choice. In this case, she suggests a frank talk telling parents that their children can't take care of them safely at home and it's not fair to the parents that they can't provide the necessary level of care. Jessica told us that when it comes to choosing the right facility, there's more to consider than just the level of care that is needed, you should also hone in on that person's individual needs and preferences including the environment of the facility, the meals, and even the decor. Jessica told us that her father lived at Lochhaven Apartments before he died. "This man lived some of the best three months of his life at our facility. He didn't have to worry about anything. My kids got to go visit Papa and not have to worry about cleaning the house, mowing the lawn. We had the best time in those three months. So I would just say that don't ever think that placing somebody in a facility is taking life away from them. Sometimes you're giving them life."
Also at Monday's meeting, Dick Schroeder presented Paul Harris +1 pins to Leslie Fry and Brad Perrot. Tracey Regula helped them reach this milestone by donating her recognition points to them. Congratulations!
We also met Rick Shields, the new advisor for the Bath High School Interact club. Rick says he is looking forward to giving students more options for volunteer work, not just while they're in school, but for their futures. And Jason Bice introduced himself as the Lima Rotary Club's new treasurer. Thanks for stepping up and volunteering for this important job!