HOMES THAT FIT: Housing needs change with age ?the secret is to see change ahead of time
PrintApr. 19--Grace Harmon is 87. As she's gotten older, she downsized her home to better fit her budget and ability to maintain the property.
She had lived in her Cheektowaga house for 25 years before the work became overwhelming.
"I was working full time and I couldn't keep up with the house anymore," said Harmon, who became a widow at a young age. "There comes a time when the shoveling and maintenance become too much."
So she bought a mobile home where she stayed for 20 years. Ten years ago, she decided to move because its poor insulation was resulting in high heating bills.
Harmon wanted a residence for senior citizens, but one that would suit for her specific needs. She was 77, able-bodied and independent. She moved into a modest apartment complex in West Seneca and has lived there ever since.
"It's just like a house, just cut down in size, and the work is done for you cleaning the windows, shoveling," she said. "It's wonderful."
Harmon, with the help of her daughters, decided on United Church Manor, a HUD-subsidized independent living facility. Tenants pay 30 percent of their income toward rent. They get paid electric, along with a utility allowance to cover heating costs, camaraderie with other seniors and a measure of independence.
"I looked around at a few places, but this was the one I like the most," she said. "It's more affordable."
Western New York has a variety of senior housing options for the area's aging population when they are ready to downsize.
"You have to be proactive; you have to know your options before something happens," said Karen Zmich, property manager of United Church Manor. "If you've waited until you need a form of senior housing to do your research, you've waited too long."
Zmich, who is also the housing council chairwoman for the Western New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, said seeking senior housing in the midst of a crisis, after a serious accident at home or a medical emergency, can cause families to make the wrong choice.
"Doing the research beforehand pays -- learning where a loved one fits in the scheme of senior housing plays a big part in where they'll end up," she said.
Laurie Menzies, an elder law attorney with Pfalzgraf Beinhauer & Menzies, said seniors can find it hard to break the emotional attachment to their homes, where they may have lived for decades.
"But it doesn't have to be viewed as the end of life, but a new beginning," she added.
"Generally between 75 and 85 is when people start thinking, 'This house is too big for me,' " said Michael Olear of Olear Realty Group at MJ Peterson Real Estate, who has assisted seniors in selling their larger homes and moving into smaller properties. Olear's company provides a free service of creating written downsize plans that include input from the seniors and their children.
"Whether it's selling a bigger house and moving to a condo, a smaller, one-story house, senior housing or moving out of the area," Olear said, "the goal is selling the house and moving to a situation that will meet their needs better."
Olear said seniors' most frequent question is: "What am I going to do with all my stuff?" He can recommend contractors to help, including a packing service.
But he recommends packing a box a day well before moving, and when you're ready, you'll have everything boxed. He also suggests using an estate sale company, giving items to family or making donations.
"Those are really good ways to eliminate clutter in the house," he said. "There are charities that will come and pick up the donations. That way everybody's getting something out of this, and it works out really well in the end."
For relatively healthy seniors, like Harmon, independent housing is highly recommended. This includes condos, which can cost anywhere from $70,000 to $300,000 and up, with a monthly association fee that covers grounds maintenance and snow removal; and single-story patio homes, which generally run from $200,000 to $450,000, also with a fee to maintain the property.
Zmich said many seniors don't move until they cannot live independently and are in need of a higher level of care or assistance.
"Our residents are coming to us much older," Zmich said. "People are trying to remain in their homes as long as possible, and sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes it's not so good. It depends on the individual. And when do they come here, they wish they would have moved in sooner because of the stress of being in their homes and the upkeep."
Menzies, the attorney, said some senior citizens mistakenly put independent and assisted living in the same category as nursing homes, which they view in a negative light.
"People should visit these places; they are not nursing homes," she said. "People now have many more alternatives, but they only know nursing homes of the past from that generation."
United Church Manor is geared toward senior citizens whose annual income is less than $22,250. There are independent living apartments that are market rate for higher income seniors. And it does link its tenants with community organizations and agencies that offer services, like transportation and meals.
For those who are less independent, the Manor's assisted-living facilities provide residents with three daily meals, medication management, housekeeping, personal care assistance, transportation, 24-hour nursing, laundry, entertainment and other services.
There are health and physical requirements, though. Among them, seniors must be able to walk or operate their wheelchair and transfer themselves. Monthly rent starts at $2,400.
"Assisted living is ideal when it becomes unsafe for them to live in a private residence by themselves," said Michael Helbringer, head of Bristol Village and Bristol Home.
Seniors typically pay for their new housing with money from the sale of their homes, pensions and Social Security. Olear said about one-half to two-thirds of the seniors he's worked with owe nothing on their homes and are able to pocket the market price when the houses sell. Long-term care insurance can also help cover housing costs, and a growing number of area seniors have it, said Helbringer, who is the immediate past president of the local Association of Housing and Services for the Aging.
The Veterans Affairs Aid and Attendance Benefit program provides financial assistance to income-eligible veterans who served during wartime, or their surviving spouses, to pay for assisted living or home-care assistance. Veterans receive $1,600 monthly; surviving spouses get $1,056 a month.
Beverly Kubala, with Geriatric Care Managers of Western New York, said the application process for the benefit is six months to a year, but approval can be retroactive, covering costs incurred before the benefit was approved.
"It's a very good benefit for World War II and Korean War vets, who are receiving it at this point," she said.
There are few assisted-living facilities in this area specifically for seniors that accept Medicaid, and Kubala said there is a waiting list. Medicaid largely provides coverage for skilled nursing, she pointed out.
Erie County Senior Services and other governmental agencies provide services to seniors to continue independent living at home, similar to those at assisted-living facilities. Most services are not need-based, are funded by the state and federal governments, and are administered by the county, said Grant Loomis, communications director for County Executive Chris Collins.
"People can receive assistance in a variety of ways," Loomis said, such as housekeeping, maintenance, home-care attendants, transportation, lawn care, nurses and more. Information about the different programs can be found at www.erie.gov/depts/seniorservices/ . Menzies works with many seniors and their families to find the best housing option and ways to pay for it. She helped her elderly parents in the process, too. Through one of the county-administered programs, Menzies' 92-year-old father and 86- year-old mother still live in their family home. A home-care attendant helps them during the day, and Menzies is there for them in the evenings.
"This program keeps people at home," she said. "It's a great alternative, especially for couples."
Menzies' parents added a first-floor bathroom and grab bars to handle their health conditions, and Kubala said there are grants available to help seniors make similar renovations. It's a move that could keep them in their homes in the long run.
"If the desire is to remain in your home, you have to make it safe," she said. "If it's not safe, a decision will be made later to move you out of there, so you have to be proactive."
esapong@buffnews.com
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