Residents of New Haven Court can take "field trips" as part of their experience in the senior living community. submitted photo

The decision to move aging parents into a senior living home is not an easy one, but it’s one that should not be left to chance.

That’s the advice of Gary Renwick, executive operations officer at New Haven Court, 100 Newhaven Lane.

After 21 years in the field, Renwick said, “I have seen every kind of scenario you can imagine. Usually it’s a tragic event, a broken hip, malnutrition, they’re not taking their medication correctly, there’s short-term memory problems.

“The children say, ‘I didn’t think Mom or Dad was this bad.’ Boom, they’re on our doorstep.”

"The family waits too long to decide their parents need a higher level of care,“ said Amy Bailie, Concordia corporate admissions director. ”The best practice would be to start shopping around, talk to your parents about what the next step would be if something happens.“

Brian Hortert, Concordia Lutheran Ministries’ chief operating officer, said, “It seems pretty easy today for families to talk about advanced directives and living wills.

“With advanced care,” Hortert said. “it’s always too late. You you need to start thinking where you would want to go. Look at three or four places before it becomes necessary.”

Renwick said it’s much easier for all involved, the children, the parents, the senior care facility, if families are more proactive about the possibility of moving parents into a facility.

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