The Decision, part two

This was not the first time that Leta and her daughter Vivian talked about a potential change in living arrangements in her later years. They had started when Vivian’s father, Leta’s ex-husband Ralph, became ill two years previously. He had no plan for his care, relying entirely on their daughter, as he had done when his mother became ill years earlier. After all, Vivian was already visiting twice a week to make sure his house and clothes were clean and he had enough to eat. She was even managing his finances. During his final months, even after Vivian had relocated him to a senior care facility, the wear on their daughter was palpable. Leta knew then and there that she would not burden her daughter that way.

Now it was late winter, nearly a year after Ralph’s death, and Leta decided it was time for her to make her own arrangements. Aside from some aches and pains and a growing inability to perform some tasks, she was still feeling fine and in her full mind, but she knew that this could change suddenly. She was nearly 78 years old. One of her older sisters had fallen in her home one morning and was not found until two days later, dehydrated and in terrible condition. This was not how she wanted to live.

Vivian arrived in the late morning with a handful of brochures for them to review. Having known several people that had moved into a variety of local senior residences, they had already eliminated several and had several potential locations on their minds.

After a couple of cups of coffee and some focused conversation, Leta and Vivian devised a plan that included a rearrangement of finances and a short list of places to visit. Although Leta would be in charge of her own future, her decision-making would be made outside of any conversation with admissions representatives and facility directors. Vivian would make all the public decisions, including phone calls and appointments. They were not trying to be deceptive, but protective. This would be quite emotional, and Vivian was a far more composed individual.

In the meantime, they would reorganize Leta’s finances. Although she was not wealthy by any means, Leta has managed to set aside funds to support herself in her later years. She had a small pension from the insurance company where she worked for ten years and, of course, social security. This was in addition to her savings and several savings bonds she had been carrying for years. As the standard rule was that new senior care residents basically turned over their income and assets to the facility to pay for their care, Leta wanted to create a separate fund for her own personal needs until she passed away.  As Vivian stood to inherit, anyway, the two of them devised a plan to create a separate bank account in Vivian and her brother Dale’s names that would serve as Leta’s personal money during her time at the facility.

“I don’t want to be broke,” Leta declared firmly. “I’ve been broke and I’ve been poor, and now I’m too old for it.”

“That’s fine, Ma,” Vivian agreed.

“And as good as these places may be, I am not about to give them everything!” Leta concluded.

To be continued.