Seven Habits of a Highly Effective Caregiver Series.
#1 They know the Care PLAN.
How does this work? Well, it won’t if you haven’t talked to the person who needs care.
So, to begin with, you need to have an honest conversation with your loved one. This will be difficult if you don’t know where to start. Begin with asking a few questions or statements like below.
Mon/Dad/Gramps, I know you don’t like talking about yourself much, and I’ve heard you say you don’t want to be a burden to me, so I would like to talk about things you may or may not have thought about before.
Ask; what do they want to happen in the event of a crisis? Where do they see themselves living in the event they can no longer do things like normal activities of daily living? And how do they think this will work? Have they planned monetarily for the future?
Do they have a durable power of attorney? Do they have a healthcare proxy or POLST, (physician orders life-sustaining treatment) detailing their wishes? If so, where are these documents? If not, suggest bringing in a Geriatric Care Manager who will work with them to put these things in place.
Then, a very important question for yourself is, Are you okay with their wishes, and are you able to support and follow through with them?
This is having a care plan in place, and a starting point for you to work with. For information on how to begin, call us. We can help.
– askjaynie.com