Families Supporting Our Seniors

Advanced Directives & Living Wills

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Advanced Directives and Living Wills

Today I wanted to briefly discuss Advance Directives and Living Wills, number four from my post, 5 Tips For The Beginning Caregiver.

 

What is an Advance Directive?

 

An Advance Directive consist of a legal document that helps your family members, medical providers, and others that are involved in your care know what your wishes are regarding your medical care, if for some reason you are unable to express these decisions for yourself.

 

There are basically two types of Advance Directives:

  1. Durable Power of Attorney for Health
  2. Living Wills

 

The Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care allows you to name a person(usually called a proxy) that you trust to make health care decisions on your behalf.

A Living Will consists of written instructions that you have written regarding your health care and what treatment(s) you would or not want if you are unable to communicate your wishes at any time.

 

Although it can be very difficult to discuss the topic of Advance Directives/Livings Wills I believe it can also be very helpful for the family members who are caring for their ill loved one. While my husband and I were caring for my mother- in- law, it was very helpful to have her Advance Directive in place to assist us and the other members of our family in making decisions regarding her care.

 

How Do I Get An Advance Directive?

  1. Find out what the laws of your state are regarding Advance Directives.
  2. Place your wishes in writing.
  3. Give your physician a copy.
  4. Discuss your Advance Directive decisions with your family.

 

It is never easy to have to make decisions regarding your family member’s health care especially if they are unable to assist you in the process, however having an Advance Directive in place can help you as the caregiver, other family members who may be involved in caring for your loved one, and the medical providers involved in treating your loved one to make the best decision that can be made for your ill family member at the time.

 

As mentioned in earlier post, the above information is by no means exhaustive on the topic of Advance Directives, however I hope it is a beginning step in this area as you navigate the caregiving journey.

 

Helping Families Support Our Seniors,

Cynthia Burton

Important Documents Needed When Caring For Seniors

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Cynthia burton important documents for seniors

 

Today I would like to talk about tip number three, Important Documents from my 5 Tips For The Beginning Caregiver post.

 

Having the important documents of your family member that you are caring for is very important especially in cases of emergencies. In my experience of caregiving the following are 10 examples of the documents that I found to be helpful to have in one location, which I called my Care Binder:

  1. A copy of their Medicare Card
  2. A copy of their Medicaid Card
  3. A copy of other Insurance Card(s)
  4. A copy of their Driver’s License/ID Card
  5. A copy of their Social Security Card
  6. A copy of their Marriage License
  7. A list of current medications
  8. A list of any known allergies
  9. A list of their current illness’s

10.Name and contact information for their Primary

Care provider and other medical care team members.

The above listed items are just a few examples of important documents that were very helpful for me and my family to have in quick access during our caregiving journey.  I hope that it is a start for you as you begin developing your Caregiving Care Binder.

Helping Families Support Our Seniors,

Cynthia Burton

 

Questions for Medical Providers

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Questions for Medical Providers

Hello, today I would like to share with you six questions I think are helpful for caregivers to ask of their elderly family members medical providers(Tip number two from my Five Tips for the Beginning Caregiver post); as they begin caring for their loved one.

  1. What are the current illnesses my family member are being treated for?
  2. How are the illnesses being treated?
  3. What are the current medications that my family member is taking?
  4. Why are they taking the above listed medications?
  5. What physical and/or mental changes should I be aware of and report?
  6. What lifestyle changes can we expect in the future?

The above six questions are just the beginning of many questions you will have as you provide the best care possible for your family member.

I also found it very helpful to keep a little notebook or log of questions as they came up while I was a caregiver.

In my next post I will be discussing the topic of Important Documents and whether or not you have your family member’s important documents in one location for easy and quick access.

Helping Families Support Our Seniors,

Cynthia

The Plan

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The Plan

As mentioned in my last post, Five Tips For The Beginning Caregiver. It is very important to have a plan as to who will be available to assist you as the primary caregiver of your family member. Even if you are going to be the primary caregiver who physically cares for your family member, it is very important that you develop a plan for those times when you may need to run an errand, go to your own medical appointments, and for times of respite (rest and relaxation.)

Possible options you may want to consider include: other family members who may want to assist with the care of your loved one, paid individuals or services, volunteers from your faith community, and community social agencies.

Most counties in the United States have a Council on Aging that they are affiliated with, and I have found this agency to be a great starting point for available resources for the elderly in local communities.

Once a decision has been made as to who will help you care for your family member, I recommend developing a schedule which is posted so that everyone who is involved in the care of your family member will be able to see which times they are scheduled to assist in the care of your loved one.

Again, the items discussed above are not exhaustive, however I hope that it is a starting point for those individuals who have found themselves on the journey of caregiving.

In my next post I will discuss the second tip from my Five Tips For The Beginning Caregiver in a little more detail.

Helping Families Support Our Seniors,
Cynthia

5 Tips For The Beginning Caregiver

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5 Tips For The Beginning Caregiver

Hello, today I wanted to share 5 tips for the beginning caregiver. Most of these tips I personally learned as a caregiver for my mother-in-law, and as a Social Worker working with the elderly population and their family members.

Like myself, many of us are never truly prepared to be the primary caregiver for a love one, regardless of how much notice we are given.  When that day arrives, many of us feel like a deer caught in headlights, shocked.  Shocked at how unprepared we feel.  These are just a few helpful tools that I have discovered, which help individuals and families navigate the process.

  • The Plan: Who will help you care for your family member?
  • Questions for Medical Providers: Do you have a list of your questions ready for your family member’s next medical appointment?
  • Important Documents: Do you have all your family member’s important documents in one place like a Care Binder?
  • Advance Directive/Living Wills: Does your family member have an

Advance directive/Living will prepared?

  • Taking Care of Yourself: It is very important but often overlooked for the caregiver to take care of herself or himself.

Again, the above mentioned tips are just a few of the tips I have gained as a primary caregiver in my personal life and as a professional working with the elderly and their family members.

I look forward to discussing each of the above tips in more detail in my future post.

Helping Families Support Our Seniors,

Cynthia