Moving Your Aging Parents: Fulfilling Their Needs and Yours Before, During, and After the Move
Nancy Daniel Wesson
Loving Healing Press (2009)
ISBN 9781615990139
Reviewed by Richard Blake for Reader Views (11/09)
The onset of diminished physical or mental capacity as well as any number of other extenuating circumstances marks the beginning of a journey into the unknown for the aging and for their loved ones. Nancy Daniel Wesson offers a concrete plan for creating emotionally sustaining environments while downsizing and relocating a parent’s primary residence in her book “Moving Your Aging Parents.”
Wesson writes with the reader in mind. She personally understands the journey. She is an advocate for the preservation of family relationships by identifying the needs and desires of an aging loved particularly when one is when downsizing or considering relocation. She provides practical pointers on rethinking current obstacles to “aging in place” that can be resolved by reorganizing space, and trouble-shooting each area of difficulty being faced.
Many will find the chapter dealing with special needs of aging parents suffering from hearing impairments, low vision, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s, and other forms of dementia invaluable.
Attention is also given to the importance of taking care of your-self, as the primary concerned family caregiver. Such topics as exercise, nutrition, and energy all play a part in your own spiritual, emotional, and general well being which are important to meeting these same needs in the lives of your loved ones.
I can only wish I had read Wesson’s book a year ago when we were in the midst of making plans for relocation. On a positive note I can attest to the accuracy of the information Wesson covered in areas where we intuitively were proactive in our approach. Many things will come much easier when we are faced with the question of moving from independent living to a form of assisted living. I am already carefully weighing the points covered in the questionnaire in the appendix asking hard questions as to when it’s time to start talking about alternative arrangements.
In addition to the practical counsel for selling the house and packing and settling into the new location Wesson encourages the reader to take a holistic approach. She identifies some realistic needs: physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial. She also discusses considering issues such as climate, community, family, and the availability of anticipated medical care, immediate, or future.
Wesson’s writing is clear, well organized, and confident. She is recognized for her work as an audiologist, personal productivity, and in the area of aging and elder care. Her credentials include syndicated newspaper articles, television appearances, and popular seminars.
“Moving Your Aging Parents” has already won awards and positive endorsements from leaders in the filed of elder care, medicine, and from the Director of Professional Development and Education of the Austin Board of Realtors.
Elder Care Consultants, Senior Center Directors, and family members concerned for their parent’s health, peace of mind, and general welfare will appreciate how Wesson has transformed often mundane information into colorful, engaging, and motivating reading. “Moving Your Aging Parents” by Nancy Daniel Wesson is highly recommended.
