Preparing to Care for Elderly Parents? Follow These Steps First.

Care for Elderly ParentsNow that Mom has sold her car, is no longer driving and it is harder for her to get around on her own, it has been decided that you and your siblings will divide up her care needs. Someone has to bring her to the beauty shop, supermarket and doctors’ appointments. One of you has to clean her house and do her laundry. And certainly, the yard needs to be kept up. But you'll also find additional important factors that need to be addressed but often go unnoticed until there’s a difficulty when providing care for elderly parents.

Check out this list of to-dos when assembling a plan of care for your elderly loved one:

  • File all important personal information such as financial information on all assets and liabilities, insurance information, medical information, power of attorney paperwork, advance healthcare directives or do not resuscitate orders and more.
  • Check to find out whether your employer offers a flexible work schedule to allow for time required to take care of your loved ones, or paid or unpaid leave. Think about the financial ramifications of employment-related changes.
  • Realize the particular financial repercussions of providing care for a family member. Research shows that family care providers spend over $5,000 yearly for care needs, over and above any lost wages.
  • Have all family members and friends who will be involved in providing care, as well as yourself and your parents, agree upon a written agreement of care. Though it may seem unnecessary, obtaining care details outlined in writing helps eliminate future squabbles.
  • Create a strategy for ongoing help for yourself, to allow for needed time for self-care and to provide a safe, trusted outlet for your personal feelings. Consider available options, to include not just immediate family and close friends, but also a counselor or therapist, your place of worship, Internet or in-person caregiver support groups, and disease-specific organizations, such as the Parkinson's Association.

Experienced in-home care providers are one more excellent resource for support for seniors in need of help with good care, as well as for the family members providing their care. Supplemental care services help family members to take much-needed breathers from care to look after their personal needs and to unwind with some downtime. The best way a person can care for another is to first take good care of himself/herself.

Midnight Sun Home Care in Anchorage, AK, has additional useful information on putting a plan in place for providing care for elderly parents, and is here to help fill in any gaps with our full selection of professional in-home care services. Call us at (907) 677-7890 for assistance.

Save

Archives

linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram