Why Care Should be Planned Ahead of Time

Even if you personally never need senior care, and even if no one in your immediate family ever needs senior care, the odds are that you will know someone that does need it. Statistics say that more than 50 percent of those aged 65 or older will need some sort of long term care at some point in their lifetime. This can be a scary thought, and the odds are that it will eventually impact your family in some way or another. Having a plan in place well before it’s ever needed is the smartest way to help prevent this from having a large negative impact on the people that you love.

 

Those that receive care often have different priorities than the rest of their family. Both of these might be very well intentioned, but even good intentions can create confusion and arguments within a family. No one wants this to happen to them. No one wants to see the people that they love be upset, angry, or suffering as a result of decisions that have been made. Planning ahead can make this a lot easier for everyone.

 

Planning care ahead of time can make it less stressful.

 

Consider the following hypothetical situation. You have a family member who has just had back surgery and now can no longer get around their home easily. They are in good health, but are in need of an in-home care team to help them get through the day. If your loved one does not want to impose on the family, they may prefer to be moved to an assisted living facility. This way, their care would not fall onto the shoulders of the people that they love. However, an assisted living facility might be a drastic change for everyone else. It would also entail a lot more supervision than what might actually be needed. As a loving family member, you might see this and know that in-home care is a much better choice for them. This discrepancy in opinion has the potential to cause an argument and hard feelings. What would you do in a situation like this?

 

There’s no right answer here. However, talking about situations like this before they become crucial can help to alleviate much of the stress that disagreements can cause. These conversations need to be calm and nuanced because they are not easy discussions. But when introduced gradually, the topic can become a lot easier over the course of time.

 

Hopefully, the care plan that you and your loved ones create for yourselves will never be needed. Hopefully, everyone will live a long and healthy life and no one will become dependent on a caregiver for an extended period of time. As nice as this would be, it’s also not very realistic. Planning today can help your family to avoid a crisis down the road. Think of it as a way to plan ahead so that you can give every single loved one the attention and help that they need, just in case things don’t go quite as perfectly as you would like for them to go.

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