Puzzles Are Supposed to Be Fun, Right?
The Puzzle of Elder Care Isn’t Fun, but We Can Help Make It Easier!
Putting together all of the facets of caring for your senior parents can be difficult. Sometimes it feels like all of the pieces are the same color or that you are putting it together without having a picture on the box to use as a reference. The truth is that there are times when it can get overwhelming. There is, however, help available. Companies like McGregor PACE are here to help. Our goal is to make things easier for you and your parents by giving options that make sense to assist with care. Let’s start by helping you put some of these puzzle pieces together. Here are some initial things you can do to help prepare for caring for your aging parent.
Start With a Conversation.
All great plans start with a great conversation. The first step in planning for the care of your parents is to have an honest, open discussion. Talk about wishes and expectations. Talk about what is realistic for their health and financial situation. There are going to be some difficult subjects to broach, and it might not be easy. If you don’t do well in these situations, you can get some tips for approaching difficult conversations from this Psychology Today article!
Take an Inventory of Needs.
You know what your parents want at this point, but what do they need to move forward? You should have an assessment of all the things your parents would need to stay in their home longer, from renovations for accessibility to home maintenance issues. You should know about how they handle monthly budgets and bills and what it would take to continue handling those items. You should know where they need to be during the week and what it takes to get them there. You should have an analysis of what they need for personal maintenance and hygiene as well as medical necessities like medicine and therapeutic needs.
Assemble the Team.
This is going to be bigger than just you and your parents. Now that you know what your parent needs to be taken care of, you need to find out who is going to help you get all of this work done. You’ll need to gather transportation options. You’ll need medical professionals. You might need a case manager. You could potentially need a financial planner and an attorney in place. Pool together all of the resources at your disposal and know exactly who you would call in every scenario.
Formulate the Plan.
You’ve got to put it all together in writing. Just having ideas in your head isn’t enough. Your family needs to put together a written course of action including needs, wants, goals, action items, and info for all team members to ensure that at any given time, someone can access the document for a course of action. Distractions can slow the process. Focus and make sure that anyone, at any time, would be able to follow the plan if you aren’t available to help execute it!
The puzzle gets easier if you know what you are working with and what the goal is. We know that you might need some help, so we want to be part of your team. Contact us today and let us help you come up with a plan that works for you and your parents!