Late in Life Decision Tool

The “Tool for Making Late in Life Decisions” (“Decision Tool”) is designed to assist in the very difficult choice between staying in your current home/residence or relocating to an independent or assisted living community. The Parts 1 & 2 of the Decision Tool concentrate on two dimensions of your and your spouse’s/partner’s lives:  1) health status; and 2) financial status. These first two sections provide valuable data to share with your Case Worker. The Part 3 of the Decision Tool identifies the services you need and summarizes the costs of such services. Of course, there are personal preferences that enter into decisions like these, but the Decision Toolpresents the hard facts needed to make informed decisions.

The Committee on Financial Matters in Retirement (CFMR) hosted a seminar in September 2022. Speakers from the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) and other local agencies will inform UWRA members on where to access services and the costs of those services, ranging from in-home services — including caregivers, cleaning, shopping, meals, yard services, etc.‚ — to placement into alternative housing. This webinar was taped and posted on the UWRA website.  

On first glance, the Decision Tool may look scary, like the sets of spreadsheets resembling the maze of forms and numbers required to prepare your annual income tax returns. The CFMR sub-committee tried to make the completion of the form as easy as possible. The Decision Tool is available below in several formats. This variety of formats is available thanks to the gracious efforts of our Executive Director Sandi Haase, who is also a member of the subcommittee. 

The Decision Tool is a benefit of UWRA membership.  Access to the document is restricted – members must log on to download.  The Decision tool is available for download by UWRA members in multiple formats. 

• Microsoft Word (docx format) click here
  
• Microsoft Excel (xlsx format) click here
  
• Adobe (PDF format) click here
  
• Adobe (Fillable PDF format) click here

Our final bit of advice is to be as accurate as possible in estimating the values that you enter into this form. The information will usually be provided by the payor or your vendor – the goal is to be accurate as possible on funds available and your cost estimates so that you can safely assess whether you can afford to stay in your home or what type alternative living arrangement you can afford. 

Important Note: The document links above have been defined to immediately download the documents to your computer.  Please look in your computer file system where downloads are set to go.

Best wishes for a long and happy retirement.

Committee for Financial Matters in Retirement

Sub-Committee on Continuing Care Retirement Communities