From Kevin:

As people age, they often begin to realize that their current home may not be suitable for future years. Perhaps the home is too large to manage, has too many tripping hazards, has stairs that are hard to climb up or down, is not conveniently located for public transportation, is not close enough to other family members who can help out as needed, requires too much upkeep, and so on. There are many reasons a home may no longer work out, so older adults begin to consider other options. It's difficult to leave a home you have grown attached to and feel comfortable in. Sometimes older adults have lived in a home for decades -- a home with so many memories and one that no other home can quite match. Nevertheless, a decision is made to start looking for an alternative.

These alternatives vary in quality and level of services offered. There are retirement communities that serve basically as a complex where people of a certain age can live and have minimal support services, and there are assisted-living communities that offer many more services. The time to begin exploring these options is before you urgently need them. How much do they cost? What do they offer? What happens if you get sick and need a higher level of care, including 24-hour nursing care -- will it be available, or will you need to move to another facility?

What kinds of housing options for older adults are available in Hawaii?

The Medicare Web site provides a chart of different types of housing/long-term care options. See:

http://www.medicare.gov/LongTermCare/Static/TypesOverview.asp

They include:

• Community-Based Services
• Home Health Care
• In-Law Apartments
• Housing for Aging and Disabled Individuals
• Board and Care Homes
• Assisted Living
• Continuing Care Retirement Communities
• Nursing Homes

Not all of the options above require that a person leave the home, but if an older person gets to the point where he or she does need (or want) to leave the home for a more supportive environment, what is out there?

This is a major decision: physically, psychologically and FINANCIALLY!

A future post will examine some housing options in Hawaii for older adults thinking about moving out of their current homes.