I’ve been a realtor for more than 20 years, and early in my career my family moved across town. Our kids were growing, we needed more space, and it happened just as the market was beginning to shift before the 2008 downturn.
I still remember how stressful that experience was. It made me a more empathetic realtor because I truly understood what my clients were going through. More importantly, I learned how to prepare them for the emotional side of the process. When you buy before you sell, having two homes is more than a financial burden—that empty house can weigh heavily on you.
Now, as part of Compass Plus, I’m experiencing something similar while helping my parents navigate their situation. The experience is teaching me lessons that will help me better serve senior clients and their families. Remember how my parents moved from Port Townsend to Vancouver in November? Yes, the bookcase and all. Plus I hung (not exaggerating) 50 paintings (my mom is quite the artist) to make the place super homey. But down with the art and books, because now they have moved back. Yes, bookcase and all!
I know — it sounds crazy. But after my dad’s most recent fall, the Assisted Living facility wouldn’t take my him back after his stay in Rehab (too much of a fall risk, it was totally understandable), and my parents just wanted to get back to Port Townsend where they have such a warm community.
With the help of LiveWell (a care management company that made me feel as if I had hired a sister), we found one good choice amidst very limited options in that town: an assisted living facility that offers a higher level of care called Victoria Place.
The move was not an easy one in any way. We spent a weekend packing up the apartment, then struggled to get all the paperwork hoops filed properly. At one point, after I had maneuvered through impossible hoops successfully, but was stuck on a bureaucratic issue at my mom’s doctor’s office, I was close to tears — and I called my LiveWell Sister. Having that support was wonderful. She gave me good advice including “have some wine.”
Once everything was packed and the paperwork mountains were climbed, I put my parents in the car and we drove three-and-a-half hours to charming Port Townsend and landed at Victoria Place that afternoon. It is just a mile from their house, so I spent a couple of hours getting them settled in and then went to the house where I was staying. At three hours to the minute from when we walked in the front door at Victoria Place, my mom called to say “oh, this won’t work. We can’t stay here.”
Pass the wine.
THREE hours.
The staff at Victoria Place are lovely and they were incredibly understanding. Over the next couple of days, I worked with them to try to help my parents adjust. They enjoyed the sunny courtyard and met some friendly people. (pictured below in the courtyard and lunching with another couple in the dining room)
But the more I listened, I heard how much they would love to be in their own home, in the tranquil setting that has been their Happy Place for over 25 years.
It won’t be easy, but we are working on a plan that involves hiring care-givers, adding ramps, grab bars, etc. We have experts coming in to give assessments and will hire people to make the necessary changes. June will be interesting and hopefully we can have a successful transition. Stay tuned for more news in the July newsletter!