While we want to get up every day and hope all will go smoothly, the older we get, the more we know that life is not always so easy and predictable. What if…
Your dad stands up too quickly, falls, breaks a hip…and you get the call?
Your mom has a heart attack on the golf course and is taken by ambulance to the ER…and you get the call.
You trip over the dog, tumble down a few steps and hit your head. But nobody is at home, so you crawl to the phone…
Accidents and health events that can change life in an instant happen without warning for many families!
To increase your peace of mind for coping with life’s curve balls, organizing your affairs should be a priority before an emergency happens. This is a task that is so often pushed to the bottom of a “to do” list, yet is truly essential to make sure we get the care we need if an accident or health issue occurs…or to ensure that you know what your loved one wants and needs if you become a caregiver in an instant.
Although starting a discussion about planning for the “what if” is awkward for some families, it’s so important. Tell your parent(s) that you want to be proactive, so you know their wishes regarding care “just in case something should happen.” And, do this for your own spouse and kids to make caring easier for you “just in case something happens.”
Here are some suggestions for advance planning that all of us should do, whether your 40 or 80. This is a definite “must” if your parents (or people for whom you are caring) have health issues or just getting older.
- Keep an updated list of medications, physicians and phone numbers. This will be one of the first things an emergency room will need if someone is injured or sick.
- Document important family information, including illnesses and the cause of death for their parents and aunts/uncles, so doctors can know relevant family history.
- Copy and file your parents’ insurance and Medicare or Medicaid cards.
- Make a list of financial institutions, a financial advisor, attorney, and passwords, including the location of advance directives (medical power of attorney), the Will and life insurance policy.)
The medical power of attorney is so important, since it includes advance directives regarding life support. This document expresses healthcare wishes and appoints someone to authorize medical procedures in the event that the individual cannot communicate.
Many people prefer to keep information in a safe deposit box at the bank, so be sure to ask about that, the location of the key. Also ask the bank what is required so you can have access if they are incapacitated and you need their advance directives.
Ask The Important “Living” Questions
For instance, does your parent want to go to a retirement community or prefer to live at home with in-home care if needed? You need to ask!
Consider a neutral third-party or Life Care Planning attorney to facilitate the conversations, especially if your parents have significant assets or tension exists among siblings or other relatives. By focusing on planning for their elder years, rather than on death and the will, it will be easier.
Pre-Plan Resources
In addition to getting important information from your parents or loved one for whom you may be responsible for care, compile a list of resources for items you may need when something happens and caregiving is your responsibility.
Should you put your loved one on a waiting list for an assisted living community or nursing home now if you are already helping them downsize or see a general decline in independence? Or, do you plan to just bring a person home from the hospital to recover from surgery or illness and you need a hospital bed, shower chair, wheelchair, grab bars, and ramp for a short period of time, line up your home-health and medical supply and equipment resources now.
The experienced staff at Mid-Atlantic Medical is happy to help with making a list of items you may need to rent or buy to make life easier.
Protect yourself from undue strain and stress by knowing all of this now. You will have enough stress when the time comes, why add “lack of planning” to the list?