Apartment or Residence? Part 2

20 November 2018 Uncategorized

In the last blog, I talked about how confidence and whether or not you feel lonely are important to know when deciding where to move when your home becomes too much. In this blog, I tackle three other key factors when deciding where to live: your health, needs, and finances.

  1. Health. Your state of health today and in the foreseeable future can greatly affect your choice. Perhaps you have a degenerative disease, or anticipate requiring more and more help with day-to-day tasks as you age.

Be realistic. To stay independent, at some point you will have to accept outside help.  For a residence, the services provided must meet your needs.

  1. Needs. Availability and quality of care are important. Ensure that the residence you choose offers all the care you require now and anticipate for the near future. Ask for references and talk with residents to see if they’re happy with the care they receive.

But, if you (or a loved one) prefer an apartment and don’t mind doing some initial organizing, your daily and medical needs can be met by outside help, such as:

  • CLSC1
  • local providers of cleaning services, meals, grocery shopping, odd jobs, and even companionship. (Ask your CLSC.)
  • private nursing care2

Any residence or apartment must have — or be near — services you need: grocery store, pharmacy, bank, etc. A last word of advice: It may take several months to secure CLSC care and equipment, so prepare to fill the gap between asking for and receiving services.

  1. Affordability. Last, but definitely not least, is being able to afford the choice you make. Residences differ greatly, and cost of services is a major factor. Know exactly what’s included in the rent, what isn’t, and what it will cost to add on services later. Include a financial buffer so that unexpected bills, or inflation, don’t cause you stress.

Take the time you need to make the right choice for you; in the end, it’s worth it.

Source

1. Find your local CLSC: www.santemontreal.qc.ca/en

2. Verify if someone is a Quebec registered nurse:

https://www.oiiq.org/droitexercice

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