Opportunities...

[KayV]

My husband and I were in a *very* similar situation a few years ago, and one of the things that helped most was doing research about and touring senior living facilities in our new area while we looked at houses. We ended up having a list of four that would have been fine for my mom, and then when she first visited, we looked at them with her "just in case." It was a huge relief to have already done this when my mom had a fall last year and ended up needing assisted living. I just popped in to the four places unannounced to see how things were, crossed two more off the list, and asked her if she would rather be in Place A or Place B. She felt much better knowing where she would be and still having a choice of sorts, and I was so glad not to have to make that decision while dealing with her in the hospital, her rehab, etc.

If you decide to tour places, try to look at the continuum of care. Don't just look at independent living, but also assisted living and nursing homes, in case your parents have an unforeseen event like a stroke that fast-forwards them through the care process. You wouldn't necessarily have to tour your folks through nursing homes, but make sure you are comfortable with them.