Skip to main content

Thanksgiving Plans: The Five Most Important Things to Ask Your Parents This Week

The holiday season is a busy time for those of us in the senior care industry. Many families only get together during this one time of the year, and this rare visit to aging parents usually brings up some undeniably critical issues.

The holidays bring families together, and many adult children become painfully aware of their parents’ aging issues while visiting.

Many age-related issues can be hidden (or ignored) during the weekly or monthly phone calls.  Many adult children dismiss or excuse-away the potential issues.  We get it—these issues are often intimidating and time-consuming.  We all want to believe that our parents are doing as well as they claim. We also do not want to invade our parents’ privacy or step on their autonomy.

Seeing parents in-person over an extended period of time, though, can really change that perspective.  In response, senior care providers start getting a lot of phone calls from concerned family members in November and December. Elder law attorneys, home care agencies, assisted living communities, and nursing homes see an increase in inquiries during the holidays.

 

Knowing this trend, we have a few recommendations for adult children planning to visit their aging parents this holiday season.

 

  1. Find out what legal documents are already in place. The holidays are a great time to discuss advance planning issues. Ask your parents if they have a complete and updated advance directive and power of attorney for finances. Ask them if they have any other important advance planning documents.
  2. Request a copy of those documents or make a plan to get them completed or updated. Do not take their word for it! Ask to get a copy of the documents so you can verify that they have been completed, that they are accessible, and that they still reflect their current wishes. If they cannot be located, are not completed, or have not been updated in the last 5 years, make a plan to correct that.
  3. Ask your parents about their wishes for long-term care and end-of-life care. We know you may not want to talk about “such depressing issues” over the holidays. You can find a million reasons to keep putting off the conversation, but this really helps no one. We all think it’s too early to talk about it—until it’s too late. Do not put off these discussions anymore.
  4. Explore their financial means and concerns. Paying for long-term care is hard.  Many older adults (and their families) fear not having enough money, going broke, or outliving their savings. Ask your parents about their income and assets and about their fears. Find out what is most important to them and about their goals for their money and future.
  5. Agree on a place to store important papers and information. Find out how your parents organize their important papers and where they are kept. In an emergency, you will need to know how to access their bank accounts, retirement accounts, insurance information, power of attorney, advance directive, and more.

 

Having walked this journey with hundreds of families, we know there are things you can do before the crisis to help be prepared. This holiday season may be a good time to get started.

If you are looking for experienced, professional, compassionate allies to help you with your aging parents, Hurley Elder Care Law may be a great match for you. Our team of experts have the professional skills, knowledge, and experience.  We all have a personal passion to help make this aging journey as pain-free as possible. To learn more about the services at Hurley Elder Care Law, please contact our office at (404) 843-0121 or through our website.

The post Thanksgiving Plans: The Five Most Important Things to Ask Your Parents This Week appeared first on Hurley Elder Care Law | Georgia's #1 Certified Elder Law Attorney.



from Hurley Elder Care Law | Georgia's #1 Certified Elder Law Attorney https://ift.tt/2XRD4q7
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dads and Pops: Your Good Health Matters to Us 

Did you know  June is  Men’s Health Month  and Father’s Day anchors Men’s Health Week ?   Celebrate dad on Father’s Day and thank him for all he  has  done, but  also  make sure to seize an opportunity sometime this month to have a conversation with him about his health. This awareness campaign has the critical purpose of informing men   that avoiding preventive healthcare puts them at real and serious risk of  contracting a disease or  acquiring  a chronic condition.   Studies consistently  show the numbers go against men , particularly as they advance into their senior years.   Even with dramatic advances in diagnosis and treatment over the past 100 years, men’s life expectancy still lags significantly behind women. According to  Harvard Health ,  the gap is widening. In 1900, the life expectancy for women was 48.3 years vs. 46.3 for men. In 2017, it was 81.1 years for women vs. 76.1 for men. Harvard...
Post a Comment
Read more

Memorize These Six Signs of a Scam

An 88-year-old woman is one of the latest victims of the sweepstakes scam. She lost $160,000 in order to get the millions the scammer claimed she’d won through the Publishers Clearing House. She’s not alone. This scam has been around for years and has affected tens of thousands. Be aware of the six signs of a scam to avoid losing money. The Caller Insists You Not Tell Anyone In a scam, the caller will insist that you cannot tell anyone. This is more likely to happen with the grandparent scam. The caller will say that the grandchild’s parents cannot know. Secrecy is important to the “grandchild.” If your parents are told not to tell anyone, it’s very likely a scam. Your parents should immediately report the scam to local authorities or the FTC at 1-877-382-4357. The Contact Arrives Out of the Blue A scam is going to start with a random call, email, or unsolicited mailer. Your parents didn’t enter a contest. It could be a scammer posing as a police officer, IRS representative, or ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Evaluate a Memory Care Program for a Loved One

When a senior is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, or a similar form of dementia, families often begin to explore senior care options. Family members may need support with their elder’s personal care or help with keeping a senior safe while they are at work. Searching for short-term solutions may result in hiring a home care aide or enrolling in an adult day program. As the older adult’s disease advances, the search for assistance may shift to assisted living or memory care communities. While these are two distinct types of care, they are frequently located on the same campus. A memory care program is often a dedicated area of an assisted living community. It is designed to meet the unique needs of adults with memory impairment. If your family is beginning to visit memory care communities for a loved one, we have a few tips for conducting an objective evaluation of each option. 6 Tips for Evaluating a Memory Care Community 1. What is the community’s philosophy of care? Dementi...
Post a Comment
Read more