Caring For Elderly Parents
	By Ramona Creel

ASSESSING THEIR NEEDS

• Does your parent need help with grooming, bathing, or dressing?
• Does your parent need help with housekeeping, shopping, or yard work?
• Does your friend need help planning or preparing meals?
• Is your parent unable to drive or get around on public transportation alone?
• Does your parent need help managing finances and paying bills?
• Does your parent need help making legal and other important decisions?
• Does your parent have trouble functioning at home? Would modifications help?
• Does your parent have trouble with hearing, vision, or memory?

GET PERMISSION

• financial power of attorney to make financial decisions and pay bills
• living will to make life-support decisions
• medical power of attorney to make health care decisions
• durable power of attorney to make legal decisions
• access to safe deposit box
• may choose to be added to deeds and mortgages
• may need to be added to automobile insurance
• know the person’s wishes (medical treatments, funeral, finances, etc.)

INFORMATION TO HAVE ON HAND

• insurance (Medicare / Medicaid number, supplement, other policies)
• doctors (names, phone numbers, and other contact information)
• medical history (medications, allergies, conditions, procedures)
• identification (social security, military ID, driver’s license numbers)
• address list (friends, neighbors, family)
• service providers (attorney, financial advisor, clergy, accountant)
• financial (account numbers, checkbook, investments, tax records)
• legal (wills, powers of attorney, health care directive)
• deeds (house, other property, car title, boat title)
• insurance (life, medical, auto, homeowner’s)
• household (mortgage, apartment lease, property tax records)
• vital records (birth certificate, marriage license, divorce decree)
• final wishes (organ donation, burial, property distribution)

MAKE SURE THAT YOU

• respect your parent’s independence, even while taking care of them
• allow your parent to make as many decisions as appropriate
• have reasonable expectations of what your parent can do independently
• talk regularly with your parent about their concerns, desires, and frustrations
• make informed decisions that are in the best interest of your parent’s needs
• show compassion while you are trying to be efficient and responsible

TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF

• recognize when you are getting worn out and need a break
• make use of support groups, family, and other caregivers in your situation
• take regular breaks to do something enjoyable for yourself

Once you have Assessed Their Needs and collected Information to Have on Hand, we are Memphis Family Lawyers that help you Get Permission from your eldery parents to facilitate their ongoing care. It is important that you have this discussion with your parents before any emergency situtations arise. We encourage clients to have the conversation early because it avoids any resentment or involuntary decisions. By involving your parents in the planning of their long term care, you are strengthening your relationship by giving them the peace of mind. When you Make Sure That You have planned well for their long term needs now, you end up Taking Care of Yourself.

Ramona Creel is a Professional Organizer and the founder of OnlineOrganizing.com — offering “a world of organizing solutions!” Visit www.onlineorganizing.com for organizing products, free tips, a speakers bureau, get a referral for a Professional Organizer near you, or get some help starting and running your own organizing business. You may contact Ramona at comments@onlineorganizing.com.

Tags: elder law checklist

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 at 9:17 am and is filed under Elder Law. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.