“My father was always an extremely active person who lived a very independent life.” That is until Anna’s father experienced a mini-stroke and carotid artery surgery. Afterwards, the family decided to take a cruise vacation intended to be relaxing and memory-making for him before things could get worse. Unfortunately, owing to unexpected, awful side effects from a new prescription, the trip was disastrous for him. It was clear that he was now at a critical health crossroads.
Once they returned, Anna told her roommate it was time for her to move in with her father “because someone needs to keep an eye on him.” Although she was glad to have the chance to care for her father, it soon overwhelmed her. Within thirty days of living with him, she’d already taken him to the emergency room 8-10 times, spending many hours there during each visit. As she experienced continued lack of sleep and constant worry, her demanding full-time job began to suffer.
After a month of this, a medical professional finally ordered an MRI and her father was discovered to have bladder cancer. With this diagnosis came the necessity of 24-hour care. Unlike many families, Anna’s father was fortunate to at least have decent long-term care insurance in place; this helped make home care possible. Even so, interviewing caregivers, and then hiring and replacing them to find the right fit, took considerable time.
Finding the right caregivers, though it was a lengthy process, was a game-changer for Anna’s father. His daytime helper, Allen, became his best friend, and was with him, holding his hand, when he ultimately died.
The moment suffering is over and an elder is at peace should be a time of remembrance, gatherings to celebrate a life well lived, and eventually, acceptance and closure. However, Anna soon learned her father’s passing was only the first step of many in what would soon become a very long and arduous process.
Even with help, it took Anna two full years to close out her father’s estate, settle his taxes, pay off his credit cards and agency bills, stop his mail and end any remaining services. This in itself seemed like its own full-time job, one that didn’t even include the sale of his long-term home.
When asked how she managed all the details of home preparation, clean-out, repairs, updates, listing, showings, sale and closing, Anna smiles and says “Linnette took care of it. All of it. I turned things over to her and she took care of virtually everything.”
Annas initial connection with Linnette came through the latter’s friendship with her father. He had known, respected and adored Linnette for years, especially as she continued to call and check in on him during his illness. When she eventually needed a real estate professional’s help, Anna knew her father would have wanted her to seek Linnette’s advice. So she did, and happily discovered that Linnette wasn’t just concerned with selling a piece of real estate, but with making the entire process as painless as possible for Anna and her siblings.
During the months Anna had to temporarily relocate out of state for her job, Linnette coordinated home cleaning work and found and managed skilled contractors to perform extensive, but necessary, home repairs and interior and exterior upgrades, including landscaping, to prepare it for sale. She also handled all permitting and inspections, carefully attending to every detail. Already highly-experienced in the local real estate market, Linnette was even able to find a buyer without having to fully stage the home.
Linnette’s painless, end-to-end management of this home sale eased Anna’s worries and allowed her to focus on her work and her other responsibilities. Indeed, transitions like these can be overwhelming and paralyzing, unless you have someone to help you who knows what they’re doing and has your loved one’s best interests at heart.
That’s what our experts at Encircle will do for you and your loved one. Give us a call. We would love to get to know you.
