Becoming a caregiver for your aging parent is a big commitment. While you will receive immeasurable benefits and joys of helping your parent to age in place and stay independently in his home, it will also be a lot of work that will affect most every aspect of your life.
Your first response may be a simple “yes!” and think you’ll figure out how it all works later. But if you make sure to have some honest conversations with your parent and other family members around these four topics, you’ll cover many of the obstacles you may come across as you care for your parent.
Caregiver Galion OH – Talk with Your Parent About These Four Things Before You Become a CaregiverCaregiving
Include all family members in this conversation to determine who will be responsible for what when it comes to assisting your parent in living out of his home. The more you can spread out the responsibilities, the easier and less stressful it will be for everyone. If you are struggling with family members to perform certain tasks, consider looking at reaching out to neighbors, faith communities and possibly even hiring a home care provider.
Legal
Although topics like this can be difficult, you’ll want to help your parent prepare for the possibility of an emergency that will require a family member to have the legal rights to perform certain functions should a crisis occur. Determine who should have the power of attorney to make important and urgent health care decisions as well as financial decisions. Drafting up a living will also helps family members and doctors know your parent’s health wishes going forward.
Finances
Even if your parent’s mortgage is paid off, there are still bills that come with owning a home – taxes, utilities, and maintenance just to name a few. Who will cover these bills? Does your parent have the necessary finances to continue living in his own home, especially if it’s an older home that might have some costly repairs coming up in the next few years? It’s also important to talk about health care coverage and insurance. Significant health issues can become quite expensive to manage even with Medicare/Medicaid or long-term care insurance. Talking with family members about possible expenses you all might need to cover will create an awareness of who will help with what. You can’t predict every expense that will come your parent’s way but if your parent can maintain current bills while also having an emergency savings plan, it’ll help all of you rest easier.
Important Documentation
Determine who has access to your parent’s important documents. Having documents within reach of at least one of the caregiver’s fingertips such as medical records, insurance information, identity records, and financial assets will make your job of making quick decisions much easier. Even having names and contact information of services that your parent utilizes such as lawncare, pet grooming, or the internet provider will help you make sure these services continue if your parent ends up in a hospital for an extended time.
Having these conversations now will set your family up for success as you care for your parent.
If you are considering Caregiver Services in Galion OH, call the caring staff at Central Star Home Health at (419) 610-2161. Providing services for families in Mansfield, Lexington, Bellville, Crestline, Galion, Shelby, Ashland, Ontario and the surrounding areas.
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