Mr. and Mrs. Miner recently celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary at Pacifica Senior Living of Sun City. Pacifica Senior Living of Sun City photos.
Never thinking about care issues as we or a family member gets older is a little like ignoring the taxman. He catches up with everyone eventually.
A little education on the subject goes a long way, and Pacifica Senior Living of Sun City is ready to provide just that with a free seminar on assisted living set for later this month.
“There are a lot of people who don’t know a lot about assisted living, and they kind of wait until the last minute, and all of a sudden mom falls and breaks a hip and goes into the hospital, and they don’t know the difference between assisted living and a nursing home,” said Donna Cahn, Pacifica’s community relations director.
Organizers of the seminar hope to put those kinds of questions to rest.
“Some people,” Cahn said, “are not educated because they have not had to be, and they wait until something happens and a doctor says ‘Your mom is no longer able to live alone at home by herself,’ and a family says ‘what do we do? Send her to a nursing home?’ Well, no, you don’t have to send them to a nursing home; they just need some assistance in their activities of daily living.
Mrs. Hardin enjoys creating artwork with an instructor from “Art without Boundaries.”
“She doesn’t need to be doing cooking anymore,” said Cahn, “or doing laundry but she still wants to have a social life and go out and enjoy her quality of life. So they move here and they are able to enjoy activities and outings without having to do the workload of having a home.”
The issues surrounding assisted living are particularly pertinent in Florida where many seniors enjoy their sunset years, often living thousands of miles away from family.
“Especially in this area, where a lot of families live out of town and don’t come to see mom or dad as much as they used to and don’t realize they are declining,” Cahn added.
The “ABCs of Assisted Living” covers all the bases, including who pays, how much, what services are normally included and how to reserve funds by living independently in an assisted-living community.
The seminar also covers:
• Assisted Living /Memory Care
• Becoming a caregiver and what it entails
• Caring for someone diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease
The event is open to the first 50 people who call. All participants will enjoy a free breakfast.
For more information, call Pacifica Senior Living of Sun City, 3855 Upper Creek Drive, and RSVP by calling Deidra at 813-633-3333.
