Kristin Allen sits down with Sean Taylor, founder of Next Chapter Services of Virginia, to talk through finding the right community, paying for care, and handling the house.
Moving a parent into assisted living or memory care is one of the hardest decisions a family makes. There are a lot of communities to compare, the cost can feel impossible to plan for, and there is usually a house full of a lifetime of belongings waiting at the end of it.
In this video, Kristin Allen of Driven2 Solutions sits down with Sean Taylor, founder of Next Chapter Services of Virginia, to talk through where Hampton Roads families can start: finding the right community, paying for care, and deciding what happens to the home.
Where families usually get stuck
- Not knowing where to start when a parent needs assisted living or memory care.
- Too many senior living options, and no easy way to compare them.
- Worrying about how to pay for care.
- A home full of belongings that has to be sold before or after the move.
- Waiting until an emergency, then having to decide in a hurry.
- Not knowing whether a veteran parent, or their spouse, qualifies for VA benefits.
Next Chapter’s four-step process
Next Chapter Services of Virginia helps families find a senior living community. In the video, Sean walks through the four steps they follow with a family:
- Understand your needs: the level of care, and what matters most to your parent.
- Set the budget and the area, so the search only includes communities that fit both.
- Tour communities together, instead of the family visiting each one alone.
- Choose a community and move in.
According to Next Chapter, their help costs families nothing. With any placement advisor, it is a fair question to ask how they are paid, so you understand the recommendation you are getting.
The best time to call is before you need to
Many families start looking after a fall or a hospital stay, when a decision is due in days. Starting earlier gives you time to tour, compare costs, and involve your parent in the choice, rather than choosing whichever community has an opening that week.
Paying for care
Two topics in the video often help families close the gap between what care costs and what is available each month.
Home equity
For many families, the house is the largest asset available to help pay for care. That equity can be unlocked by listing the home traditionally or by selling it as-is. Which path fits depends on the home’s condition, the timeline, and how much preparation the family can take on. Questions about how a sale affects benefits or taxes belong with an elder-law attorney or financial adviser.
VA Aid & Attendance
If your parent is a veteran, or the surviving spouse of one, ask about VA Aid & Attendance. The VA describes it as monthly payments added to a VA pension for qualified veterans and survivors. Eligibility rules apply, so check the VA’s own page or a VA-accredited representative before counting on it.
Handling the house
The community is one half of the move. The other half is the home: the belongings, any repairs, and whether to sell it, rent it, or keep it, and whether that happens before or after the move. Planning the two together keeps the house from becoming a crisis after the move date is set.
That is where Driven2 Solutions helps. We compare listing the home, selling it as-is (including selling it directly to Driven2 Solutions), renting, or keeping it, and coordinate the cleanout and move around your parent’s timeline.
You do not have to do this alone, and you do not have to decide everything at once.
Serving families across Hampton Roads
Next Chapter and Driven2 Solutions both work with families across Hampton Roads, from Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach to Suffolk, Portsmouth, Newport News, and Hampton. Kristin Allen works with Next Chapter Services as well as Driven2 Solutions.
