Growing old is one of life’s various stages. As our parents’ age, the role of caregiver usually shifts from them and falls on the children. It is essential to start taking steps to ensure their care and safety, especially when they are still able to make decisions of how they may be looked after.
While it might be easier to keep delaying the inevitable, having plans in place well before they become needed will be more beneficial fr everyone in the long run.
The following are a few tips that you can follow to plan for the care of your elderly parents adequately;
Discuss their elderly life
Most times, the elderly have ideas about what they want their life after retirement to look like. As their child who wants the best for them, you should try to have a meeting where they are invited to share the plans they have for themselves.
This meeting should include every member of the family and should happen when your parents still have most of their cognitive functions. Ask them about essential factors of their care like living situation, medical and financial status.
While this kind of conversation might be uncomfortable to talk about, it is necessary that will help give your parents the utmost comfort.
Prepare their finances and yours
Depending on various factors, the cost of caring for an elderly parent might be expensive. Get your parents’ financial records and find out about their unpaid debts, savings, 401k, taxes and other essential things. By taking this step, you will be better equipped to make decisions and ensure that their finances are in the right state.
Furthermore, you should begin to evaluate your finances and determine how you are going to afford to pay for your parents’ care. Doing this will eliminate the risk of falling into debt or living paycheck to paycheck in the future. If possible, you should consult financial institutions and get aged care financial advice from a professional source.
Determine their living situation
There are many elderly housing options to choose from. You should select a housing type based on your parents’ health status, finances and personal preferences. If they are going to need full medical care, nursing home or in-home care will be more suitable. However, if they only require help with carrying out daily living activities, it might be better to employ a caregiver or place them in assisted living communities.
Legal planning
It is crucial to have all legal necessities in place before your parents become very advanced in age. Legal documents like a power of attorney, deeds to properties, assets, and life insurance policies, among others, should be kept diligently.
If possible, convince your folks to write their will when they are of sound mind, they can even decide to change the contents later if they so wish. Having access to all the essential legal documents will make it easier to create and implement decisions about them in the future.
Evaluate appropriate organisations and associations
There are various organisations dedicated to caring for and assisting the elderly. Take the time to conduct adequate research into the modus operandi of these bodies and the range of benefits that are available to their members. There are also some benefits provided by the government that they can take advantage of.
Prepare for their passing
Death is an inevitable occurrence, and as much as you might try to avoid the subject, it should be well prepared for. Get their opinions about the type of funeral they want, how they want their bodies to be handled and other necessary arrangements.
Following your parents’ wishes for their final resting place usually provides an amount of satisfaction and might help to alleviate the effects of their loss.