Harlon Wilson
Small Business Owner and Realtor in Indianapolis, Indiana
I am a former healthcare executive who found his way to a 2nd career in real estate and neighborhood revitalization with a passion for elder transition and age-in-place support.
Overwhelmed while caring for my father until his passing (Dec 2105), I discovered a gap in the way our healthcare system provides care and guidance for elders and their family caregivers when it comes to issues related to the home.
In dad's case, I struggled to find help with non-medical related decisions. Who would help me decide when it was no longer possible for dad to come home? Were there changes we could make to his home to make it more accessible? Could he return home with the assistance of home health nurses or personal care services? If so, how would we pay the bill? If impossible, what was I to do with his house and all of his personal belongings that filled his home, 2-car garage, yard, and two barns? What am I to do with his two rental properties? Did he have insurance or investments? Were his taxes filed? Could he afford long-term care or did we have to sell everything to help pay for his care?
These are the many challenges I faced while looking providing care for my father. They are the challenges many families face today when caring for an elder relative.
This was not my first time facing such questions as a caregiver as I'd also cared for my grandmother throughout the last 10 years of her life, and I had the distinct honor to care for my freshman high school teacher, Mrs. Betty "Momma" Jenkins whom I came to know 30 years prior as a teacher at Crispus Attucks High School.
Over the years, Mrs. Jenkins became my most trusted mentor, coach, friend, and adopted Momma. The same non-medical challenges proved daunting when assisting her family in guiding her care.
In recognition of the need for support outside of the healthcare system, I've obtained an Indiana Real Estate License and have started a practice specializing in elder transitions.
From downsizing to decisions regarding long-term care, assisted living, or in-home care, I (with a consortium of partners) help families to navigate these exceedingly difficult issues with compassion and a great deal of personal experience to draw from.
In addition to helping families with transitions, another area of challenge when it comes to buying, selling, or remodeling homes is locating reliable, trustworthy, and talented home improvement specialists so we launched Home Redevelopment Solutions (http://homeredevelopment.com) in 2016.