As the baby boomers age, more and more of us are going to find ourselves in a care giving role. My mother has been sick all her life so, I have gotten the opportunity a little bit earlier than most. I got such a positive response to my care giving posts that I thought I would add that to my material here. I hope that you will benefit from my experience so that your transition into the care giving role is smooth.

Ideally, you would have time to plan for providing care for your parents. The reality is, most of use are thrown into the situation. However you land in here, you need to have all the pieces in place to be successful. Here are some things to consider:

Make sure you have a power of attorney. In order for you to speak on their behalf, pay their bills and make arrangements for them, you have to have their permission. A medical power of attorney is necessary to make decisions regarding their health. A general durable power of attorney is for everything else.

Get their finances in order. You have to know what they have an where they have it including institution names, account numbers and balances. That way, if you have to apply for services or placement for them, you will be prepared.

Have their medical information sheets in order. You may remember this spreadsheet that I wrote about before. It is a great way to keep their medications, diagnosis’s and allergies together and at your fingertips. You will need this for regularly scheduled doctors appointments, filling their prescriptions, emergencies and just your general education on their condition.

Maintain your well-being. Being a care giver is emotionally, physically and spiritually taxing. Make sure that you have a system in place that cares for the care giver. Your new-found responsibilities requires you to be at the top of your game. Get a check up and make the necessary changes to assure that you are at your peak condition. Find ways to relieve stress and take breaks often. Talk to nurses, social workers and others involved in the care to provide you with resources. This is imperative!!

Change your way of thinking about the health care system. There is a definite shift in the paradigm concerning the system that maintains our health in this country. No more “doctor knows best”. You know your parents best and although doctors are highly trained individuals, you know what your parents can tolerate. Don’t accept what they are saying without asking a lot of questions. If you aren’t comfortable with what they are saying, then it is not right for your parents.

These are topics that I am passionate about and will cover more in depth in future posts.  Hopefully, this has given you some things to think about and maybe even some inspirations to start some difficult conversations within your own family. Speaking from experience that I gained the hard way, the more prepared you are now, the easier things will be to handle when you have to.

This post is linking to Talk about Tuesdsay.

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