Preparing For The Future With Senior Parents

Aging can create a number of problems for seniors and their families. In this regard, putting a plan in place for their health and living conditions, and finding affordable home care packages can be extremely important. In this ultimate guide, we’re going to discuss how to prepare for the future with senior parents – with everything from tackling the conversation to finding the best care options available.

Talking to aging parents about senior care

We pretty much have a plan for everything; our education, our careers, growing our family, etc. But it’s not often that we think about having to care for our parents.

However, tackling this tough conversation early on, and putting plans in place for finances, care options, and end-of-life preferences could save the whole family a lot of pain in the future.

To make these conversations as positive and as smooth as possible, it’s a good idea to start early. Even if there is nothing to be currently concerned about. That way, the family has time to sort out savings and get legal paperwork together. So that if anything tragic does happen, the family can simply grieve and process rather than having to stress about life admin.

It’s also important to remember that any decisions need to be made with your parents. Thinking you know what’s best for them could quickly create tension in the family. By having an open and honest talk about your health concerns, and available options, you can come to a decision together while your parents still feel in control.

Denial can be a huge issue for both adult children and parents. But sweeping issues under the carpet or not dealing with health issues at the start could make things difficult when crises occur.

Legal documents all seniors should have

However insensitive it seems, it’s a good idea to ensure your senior relatives have all their legal documents in place well in advance. There’s no time like the present to create a will as if something isn’t in place and tragedy strikes, the government will have full authority over dividing assets and finances. That means if there is no document in place for the family to get control over certain things, it could end up in the wrong hands with very few legal grounds to stand on.

Another two documents are the POA for finances and health care (Power of Attorney). If there comes a time where your elderly parents can’t make decisions for themselves, who will make them on their behalf? This needs to be explicitly put in writing with a legal binding. The same should be done for health care.

Care options for seniors

There is plenty of information online regarding different levels of care seniors have access to, and discussing the options with them will help find the best fit for everyone. One of the most popular options is assisted living in Baltimore, but research into different communities should be done well in advance as wait lists can be long.

There are a lot of other things to discuss with the family – from financial support to everyone’s responsibilities. But by being prepared, you can save yourself a lot of stress, confusion, and heartache in the future.