Planning Ahead
Planning early makes every later decision easier and less stressful. These conversations, hosted by Just Like Home founder Deirdre Virvo, cover the practical side of aging, from paying for care to legal and end-of-life planning.
Most families use a mix of private pay, long-term care insurance, and, for eligible veterans and surviving spouses, the VA's Aid and Attendance benefit. Medicare does not cover the room, board, and daily care in a memory care home, which surprises many families, so planning the funding mix early makes the move far less stressful. Just Like Home is all-inclusive, so the monthly rate is the rate, with no surprise care fees added later. At Just Like Home we accept private pay, long term care insurance, and VA benefits including Aid and Attendance. We do not accept Medicaid.
Five Wishes is a plain-language document that lets a person put in writing how they want to be cared for if they become seriously ill, covering medical, personal, emotional, and spiritual wishes. It is an easy way to start advance-care planning and make sure a loved one's voice is heard when it matters most.
Palliative care focuses on comfort and quality of life and can begin at any stage of a serious illness. Hospice is comfort-focused care for the final months of life. Families often wait longer than they need to, so it helps to learn the options early, so support is in place when it is needed rather than in a crisis.
Downsizing is emotional as well as practical. Start early and go room by room, keep the items that carry the most meaning, and involve your loved one in the decisions so they feel respected rather than rushed. Professional senior-move managers can help make the process gentler for everyone.
Having a will, a durable power of attorney, and a health care representative in place spares a family confusion and conflict later. If you are named an executor, know that you do not have to manage it alone. An estate attorney can guide you through the responsibilities step by step.
Our all-inclusive rate starts at $9,200 a month, with a one time $4,000 move in fee. That covers all meals and snacks, personal care, medication management, laundry and housekeeping, activities, cable and wifi, and the furnishings and linens in the room, so a resident arrives with clothes and toiletries and nothing else. The only optional extras are a podiatrist and a hairdresser, each $40 roughly every two months, billed afterwards in the next monthly cycle.
Yes. Our residents typically stay with us until they pass, hospice included. Families are welcome to choose their own hospice provider, and if you would rather have a recommendation, we work closely with several agencies and are glad to suggest one.
Educational sources: Medicare.gov, National Institute on Aging
Just Like Home is two small residential memory care homes in Shelton, Connecticut, for people living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. We are memory care only, so every home and every routine is built around dementia.
Licensed by the Connecticut Department of Public Health as Residential Care Homes, #1924 (Dogwood) and #1926 (Long Hill). Rated 5.0 on Caring.com.
Our homes are Dogwood at 62 Dogwood Drive and Long Hill at 757 Long Hill Avenue, both in Shelton. Founded by Deirdre Virvo, a social worker and author of "Home to Home."
