Timing Is Everything
I used to work for a boss that said if you’re on time, you’re late. I worked for another that said if you can’t be on time, be early. These axioms got me thinking about how applicable they are to senior living. I’ve encountered numerous people over the course of my career in senior living that wait too long to make the move to a retirement community. They say they don’t want to come until they can’t take care of themselves. In many cases, that’s too late. They’ve squandered several years that they could be taking advantage of the services – socialization, maintenance free living, on site dining, transportation and much more at home. They’re afraid that they’ll move in a few years before they’re actually ready.
Most of the time, after people move in to John Knox Village East, they’ll tell us they wished they had moved sooner. So, it turns out to be the reverse of the one thing they feared most – moving too soon. If you stop and think about it from a logical standpoint, it’s much better to be too soon than too late. If you come in a couple years early, while you’re still physically and mentally capable, you can get involved in one or more of the many groups available, you can still work if you choose too and you can familiarize yourself with the services we offer and the staff that is here to serve you. Doug Booker put it best – he said the reason I chose to move to John Knox Village East while I was still working and independent is that hopefully I won’t need the services offered for a long time, but when I do I’ll be familiar with them and how they work and I’ll have a built-in network of 100 friends who I’ll be with. I won’t be thrust into an unfamiliar, scary situation when I’m not as capable as I once was.
Doug exemplifies the reverse of what I’ve also seen in some people. I’ve seen some folks wait until they’re pretty infirm – age has taken its toll on them and when they move in they don’t feel up to participating in the available clubs and taking full advantage of what’s available at John Knox Village East. Or, they would, but they’re just not physically up to going on trips and putting forth the physical effort to join in and get the full advantage of living here.
Moving to John Knox Village East or anywhere involves a trade-off. Perhaps it’s a trade-off of a few more years in the house where you’ve lived a long time. Perhaps it’s a trade-off of the stress and effort of moving. No matter when you move, most people are trading what they’ve known for something new, which does involve some stress and uncertainty. But, they’re making this trade-off for a more secure future with peace of mind. I think of it just like financially planning for retirement. I take an amount of my paycheck each month to save for retirement. I’m making the sacrifice of having less money now so I’ll more in retirement. It’s always better to start saving early for retirement. It’s also better to be early to the party when it comes to senior housing. You can be early and make it work. If you wait too late, you’ll be talking about making the move to assisted living or the nursing home instead of an independent living apartment. And, even if you are still able to be independent, the longer you wait, typically the harder the adjustment is.
If you’d like to find out more about what we offer, call us at 660 584 4416 or email us at info@johnknoxvillageeast.com. I’d be happy to give the information you need to make sure the timing is right for you.
