Top Five Things
(I WISH I’D KNOWN WHEN I BECAME MY PARENTS’ CAREGIVER)
Start BEFORE You Start
Do you know anyone who ponders the honor of becoming a caregiver? I don’t. Rare is the person who begins working on caregiving issues ahead of time. More often, the role is thrust upon an unsuspecting relative who begins treading water for the next six months or year.
Suddenly becoming a caregiver usually means making many quick, difficult, often major decisions in a short time frame. Limited time to act hampers a good decision-making process. For instance, last minute decisions prevent Medicaid asset planning. Start early. Developing a plan to implement when required is a much better approach than executing without a plan.
Do Your Research. Read Up and Ask Questions.
Understand your loved one's medical condition(s) and prognosis. Identify senior care residences that specialize in your loved one's condition and take your loved one to visit them. Rank the facilities based on quality of care, value and desirability.
Understand your loved one's financial situation and evaluate facilities in light of those finances. Don’t stop with the assets your loved one has. Identify other resources your loved one qualify to receive; there are federal, state, local and private resources available to assist the elderly. Don't overlook them.
Leverage Elderly Care Professionals
There are many professionals specializing in senior care. If you don't work in the field, you may be unaware that it's such a vast field. Physicians, nurses, social workers, lawyers, chaplains all play an important role in supporting senior citizens who are in need.
As you're doing the research and developing a plan, seek insight from professionals, as needed. At a minimum, view every encounter with professionals as a learning opportunity. Learn as much as you can about that professional's view of your loved one's situation and get referrals for other professionals.
For instance, if you're talking to a gerontologist about your loved one's condition and the doctor says your loved one could benefit from adult day care, ask for a list of good adult day care facilities.
It is common for elderly parents to experience various illnesses and require different levels of care over time. Choosing a senior care facility based on an elderly person's condition on any given day is short-sighted.
A better approach is to consider the range of potential care needs and select senior care facilities and professionals who can handle future requirements as well as today's. Moving a senior is difficult for everyone. Smart choices at the outset minimize the trauma inherent in moving your loved one.
Make Long-Term Decisions
Along the senior care road, there are windows of opportunity. One of the most important things you can do is recognize them and act promptly. If not, the window will close and essentially you've decided not to take advantage of the opportunity. Choosing a senior facility for your loved one is a great example of how opportunity windows arise and disappear.
Depending on your loved one's condition, they may qualify for independent living, assisted living, memory care or skilled nursing. Continuing care facilities allow your loved one to move in as an independent resident and, as their needs progress, move through assisted living and higher levels of care. Independent seniors are desirable and readily accepted into most facilities.
However, if your loved one needs more help when applying for a residence, the facility will gauge how much help might be needed and evaluate whether to accept your loved one. Waiting until your loved one needs serious help could severely limit your senior residence options.
