Official Review: It's Your Move: Choices for Senior Living

[casper]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "It's Your Move: Choices for Senior Living" by Gail Lawley.]

---

Share This Review

---

This is a great reference book for anyone faced with the problem of deciding where to live as they grow older and also adult children helping a parent or other relative explore the various care options available so that they can choose the most suitable. The author has had first hand experience of assisting friends and relatives in this situation and her research has been extensive.

The message that comes across most clearly is not to leave such an important decision too late; it is far better to plan ahead and make arrangements when you are still healthy and mobile than wait until some crisis occurs and certain levels of care become imperative. Similarly, it is important for people to recognise what they want as well as what they need, and communicate their wishes to those trying to help them.

A large part of the book takes the format of lists to work through like a workbook. Theses lists are quite exhaustive, covering such things as the different types of housing available, the various levels of care, cost comparisons, amenities and activities on offer. She prompts questions, based on her own experience, that might not occur to everyone on a visit to a retirement community: Is there cable TV? What about internet access? How far is the mailbox? And, importantly, where is the assistance bell located and how quickly is it answered? (It turned out to be outside her parents' room and it rang an awful lot.) I cannot think of an item she does not cover, from the obviously essential to something that might appear quite trivial but is actually important to the individual concerned.

It is well written and based on the author's own experience and research begun more than fifteen years ago; she includes many personal references and incidents to illustrate various points which are interesting in themselves and liven the book, and it is very far from being a dry list of things to do. Ms Lawley must have contacted and interviewed hundreds of people in the course of writing this, as well as visiting communities and reading numerous books on the subject. These are all clearly referenced and listed and she recommends reading them as it would be impossible to cover every aspect in one volume; It's Your Move: Choices for Senior Living is more concerned with decision-making and comparing facilities rather than planning and paying for the care. There are also references to an abundance of websites, although the author is careful not to exclude people who may not have easy access to the internet or may not be able to use a computer.

I found this book extremely useful as my own mother is now over 80 and will have to increase her level of care in the not too distant future. It is packed with useful information, contacts, and things to consider which may not have occurred to us until it was too late to do anything about them. I rate this 4 out of 4 stars and certainly recommend it to other people who are making decisions about future care and housing; in fact it's probably something that should be read before the need for it becomes too apparent.

***
Buy "It's Your Move: Choices for Senior Living" on Amazon
Buy "It's Your Move: Choices for Senior Living" on Barnes and Noble
View hassle-free sample of "It's Your Move: Choices for Senior Living"

[lovebooks10]

This is something people don't want to deal with until they have to, but they should. My grandma just went through this, my aunt could have used a book like this.