Most people don't plan to become caregivers of their aging parents.
It is usually thrust upon them with a health or safety crisis.
Once the crisis happens, panic sets in and they cannot figure out where to start.
Below are the first 3 major items you need to gather to avoid the panic and stress that can set in with a crisis.
1.
Gather all medical information - Rather than awaiting a trip to the ER and realizing you have no idea how to answer all the questions the doctors are asking, put together all the medical insurance information, medications taken and any medical conditions that your loved ones might have.
Don't forget to update it when new medications or conditions are added or insurance is changed.
Having everything in one place alleviates a tremendous amount of stress should a medical emergency occur.
2.
Gather all financial information - While discussing money issues with your parents (at least when you are not asking for it! LOL) may be awkward, it is imperative that someone know where to find the information and it should all be placed together.
What insurances do your loved ones have - life, long term care, disability, home or car? What kind of savings and income do they have? What banks do they use? Ideally, all this information would be listed with the policy/account numbers, brief information and contact numbers for the companies.
(If mom and dad are hesitant to divulge all this information at least impress on them the need to list the info and the policy numbers and put it in a place where you know where to find it in case they are incapacitated for any reason) 3.
Legal necessities- There are several documents that are essential to have in place for your elderly loved ones if they want to make their wishes known if they are not able to tell their medical team.
A Basic Will lets everyone know what mom and dad want to happen to their "estate" or "stuff" after they are gone.
While some people don't want to think about sitting down and thinking about their death, if you don't have one, the state gets to decide what happens to your "estate" and no one wants that! A Living Will allows seniors to be as specific as they wish about what kind of care they want in the event that they are incapacitated and are unable to tell medical personnel.
For example, if mom has a severe stroke and is on life support, it would be up to either her husband or her children whether to let her live in that condition or to let nature take its course, if she did not have a living will.
A living will lets her remain in power over her life.
Power of Attorney documents can greatly facilitate care.
The person with a Medical Power of Attorney is authorized to make medical decisions for the specified loved one should they be unable to do so for themselves.
A Durable Power of Attorney also allows the specified person to make legal and financial decisions as well.
This becomes incredibly important if something happens suddenly to incapacitate the loved one, such as stroke.
A good elder care attorney can guide a loved one through these decisions and details.
These are just the top 3 issues that caregivers should address but are essential.
Once these matters are addressed, more personal, quality of life issues can be addressed.