Their PlanThe Alvarez Family Plan
Ruth & Leo Alvarez · Columbus, Ohio · winters in Fort Myers, Florida
Prepared from their answers, February 2026 · Shared with: Maria, Daniel
Part oneWhat Ruth and Leo told us
Ruth, 79
- Protect first: staying together, her garden club, not burdening the kids
- Biggest worry: Leo's memory — and being the only one who manages it
- Community living: "open to it when I actually need it"
- Still driving; would accept limits before giving it up entirely
“I can do a lot of things. I can’t be two people.”Ruth, question 14
Leo, 81
- Protect first: staying in his own home, staying together, the Florida winters
- Biggest worry: losing independence
- Community living: "only if there's no other option"
- Wants Ruth and Maria deciding for him if he can't — in that order, in writing
Where they agree: stay together, whatever happens; spend their own savings on care before asking the kids; Maria is first backup for both. Where they don't (yet): Leo wants to age in place no matter what; Ruth is open to a community if his care becomes too much. The plan below is built so that difference never has to be resolved in an emergency room.
Part twoThe agreements — decided now, so no one debates them later
| If this happens | The family has agreed to |
|---|---|
| Either of them is hospitalized more than 48 hours | Maria is called first and speaks for the family. Someone stays with the other spouse from day one — a paid aide within 24 hours if family can't be there. |
| Leo's memory requires daily supervision | In-home help starts immediately — framed as help for the household. Ruth's caregiving is capped: respite week every quarter, non-negotiable. |
| Ruth can no longer carry the caregiving | They tour communities together, within 30 days, starting with ones where they can stay together at different care levels. |
| A doctor or two family members question Ruth's driving | She has pre-agreed to a professional driving evaluation, and to accept its result. |
| A crisis happens in Florida | Stabilize there, then bring care decisions home to Ohio. Fort Myers hospital gets the Ohio records via the HIPAA releases (Part three). |
| Ruth goes first | Leo does not live alone. Community or live-in care within weeks — he has agreed to this in writing, in his own words, on the last page. |
| Leo goes first | No one pushes Ruth to move for one year. Daniel takes over what Leo handled (list attached), starting with the taxes. |
Part threePaperwork for a two-state life
Ruth and Leo split the year between Ohio and Florida — which means documents in both flavors, because states don't fully honor each other's forms at the bedside.
| Document | Status | To do |
|---|---|---|
| Wills | Exist (2019) | Confirm executors still right; location: gray file box, study |
| Durable power of attorney | Exists — Ohio | Have it reviewed for Florida bank acceptance; banks apply their own rules |
| Ohio health care power of attorney + living will | Missing | One attorney visit; forms are statutory in Ohio |
| Florida designation of health care surrogate | Missing | Same visit — Florida spends 5 months of their year |
| HIPAA releases naming Maria & Daniel | Missing | File with every doctor in both states — the cheapest, most useful page in this plan |
| Account & password list | Partial (Ruth's head) | Written down within 30 days — see Part five, step 2 |
This checklist is generated from the states you actually live in. It is preparation for a lawyer, not a substitute for one — the plan names elder law attorneys near both ZIP codes.
Part fourCare options near the places they chose
From state licensing records and Medicare data, around their two ZIP codes:
38 licensed assisted-living communities
within the Columbus 432xx area — including, largest first:
Columbus, OH · 43215
Oakleaf Village
Columbus · licensed capacity 206
Assisted living
Kensington Place
Columbus · licensed capacity 187
Assisted living
Mayfair Village Retirement Community
Columbus · licensed capacity 172
Assisted living
The full plan lists every licensed community near both ZIP codes with addresses and capacity, plus Medicare-rated nursing homes and home-health agencies with their star ratings, and the local Area Agency on Aging's number for each — the free public front door most families never learn exists. We take no referral fees from any community, so nothing here is pay-to-play.
Part fiveThe next 90 days
- Share this plan — Ruth, Leo, Maria and Daniel each get a copy. Disagreements surface now, on paper, not later in a hallway.
- Ruth writes the two lists only she has — what Leo's days actually require, and everything she manages that no one else knows how to do.
- One attorney appointment — the Ohio and Florida document set from Part three, done in a single visit.
- File the HIPAA releases with every physician in both states.
- Hire the first help now — housecleaning every other week. It normalizes someone being in the house years before anyone needs care.
- Tour one community, hypothetically — while it's a coffee visit, not a crisis.
- Set the annual review — this plan gets reread every February, and after anything big.
$25 one time · whole family
Your plan is built from your answers — this sample took the Alvarez family about 25 minutes.
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