 | Shanna Parrish-Taylor is the Director of Nursing at Vintage Place Assisted Living. She is a RN with 9 years long term care experience, experience in critical care as well as hospice setting. Shanna is currently working on her master’s degree towards obtaining her ANRP. For more information on Shanna or Vintage Place please call 620-231-4554.
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Senior Living
2011-12-27 13:39:30
Are you prepared to care for aging parents?
A: While most people anticipate caring for aging parents sometime in their life, most are concerned about their ability to do so. Here are some important areas where you can start planning now:
Start Talking
The sooner you begin conversations about the future, the better for all involved. Creating an ongoing open dialog about the future will allow you to work thorough changes productively. If your senior parent ever becomes incapacitated, everyone will know his or her wishes.
Financial Considerations
61% of caregivers are women and in most cases, those women have a regular job. Many people do not anticipate the hours care giving requires, and fail to factor in reduced work hours and benefits into their budget. Caregivers also spend an additional $2,500 on average in care costs per year. A safe course of action might be setting aside money now to help offset the changes.
Medical Considerations
Become familiar with your parent’s medical history. Have them fill out an emergency kit containing the name of their doctors, medications, insurance information, allergies, and how to access advanced health care directives.
Insurance Issues
The decisions your parent makes now about insurance can make a huge difference in care later. Consider the value of things like long-term-care insurance. Get to know the complexity of Medicare and what it will and will not cover.
Make Your Home Ready
If your parent will move in with you, start making changes to your home, or consider relocating to a home that will make care giving as comfortable as possible for the parent, and as accommodating as possible for you. Things to consider might be ground floor bedrooms, room for medical equipment, private spaces for yourself, and easy access to the garage or driveway.
If you feel unprepared to care for your aging parents, you are not alone. However, any effort you put in now is highly beneficial in the care giving process.
