Being together over the holidays is a good time to get caught up and an ideal time to have discussions about planning long term care for aging parents. Having an open and honest discussion around care needs, home modifications and finances is important to help meet the wishes of senior loved ones.
Live Free Home Health Care, a trusted provider of home care and respite care in Bristol and the surrounding communities, has compiled some important questions for you to cover during your conversation:
- Would you like to continue to live at home as you grow older, or consider a move elsewhere? The majority of older adults desire to remain at home throughout aging over a move to a nursing home or assisted living facility, or moving in with adult children. Should this be the case with your parents, think through any changes that need to happen to enable that desire to become a reality: home modifications and the overall layout of the house, together with a strategy for support if a chronic illness, disability, or simply the challenges of aging make it challenging to stay safe and independent.
- What community services, amenities, and organizations do you wish to continue to access? Obviously, your parents will have to be able to get groceries along with other essential supplies and keep up with medical appointments and procedures, but determine what else will be important to them as they get older, such as attending religious services, hair and/or nail salon appointments, sporting events, visits with neighbors and friends, etc. How will they carry on with these tasks and activities if they become unable to drive?
- How will the cost for any long term care needs be covered? Finances tend to be a sensitive topic to broach with your aging parents, but it’s essential to make certain that a strategy is in place to meet future needs. If it hasn’t been done already, now is an ideal time for you to ensure your parents have selected a power of attorney and met with a financial planner who is able to review savings, investments, estate planning, retirement funds, insurance, etc. and create a plan to pay for any possible expenses associated with aging care.
- Who is within your network of support? It’s a smart idea to assemble a list of your parents’ close friends, neighbors, and other loved ones who will be open to assist in the event of emergency or just as your parents’ abilities change through aging. Prioritize the list in the order your parents would like them to be contacted if a need occurs, and then share the list with anybody who may have the need to reach out to them (including those on the list themselves).
At Live Free Home Health Care, we work with older adults and their loved ones as they begin planning long term care. Because our home care services are highly individualized, we are able to begin providing assistance in just a few areas, for just a few hours weekly, such as help with meals, housekeeping, and running errands, and then add in additional support over time if needed.
Contact our aging care experts at 603-217-0149 for the trusted support your senior parents need to remain safe, comfortable, and thriving at home for a lifetime. We’re always available to answer any questions you might have, and also to schedule a no-cost in-home assessment to share more about why we’re one of the top senior care companies in Concord and the surrounding communities.