The importance of crisis planning for seniors can be summarized by something Benjamin Franklin once said: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Oftentimes, families contact our Elder Care Law office for crisis planning for seniors in their lives, struggling to manage the needs of their loved ones while caught up in the emotions and stress that come along with navigating a challenging situation. As a result, crisis planning for seniors makes it difficult for families to find appropriate and reliable long-term care options for their loved ones.
When meeting with clients who are more stable and “planning ahead” there may be more options to prepare for a long-term care crisis. Planning for age-related changes will help reduce stress when the “unexpected” occurs. Our office strives to prepare adult children, spouses, and caregivers for both the expected and unexpected. While looking down the road ahead, here are some things to consider in crisis planning for seniors:
- Evaluate your loved one’s safety in their home; consider a home safety assessment of the current layout to promote their safety in the home and minimize the risk of a fall and subsequent hospitalization.
- Have a conversation with your parents to understand their current financial status should their situation change due to age-related changes.
- Schedule an appointment with an elder law attorney to ensure that all their estate documents, such as their healthcare and financial powers of attorney, advance directives, and last will and testament are in place to avoid any crisis later. Equally important is knowing where these documents can be located when needed and reviewing them regularly. Waiting too long to have these documents prepared may result in a more costly alternative, such as guardianship.
- Understand your loved one’s health insurance and have copies of their health insurance cards readily available. During Open Enrollment (November-December) and with special enrollment periods, consider a health insurance review with a broker to ensure your loved one’s current coverage is adequate.
- If your loved one has long-term care insurance, keep a copy of contact information for how to start a claim when the time is ready.
- Educate yourself on services available through the insurance, including skilled nursing and physical and occupational therapies, to ensure your loved one’s safety and well-being in the home, potentially avoiding unnecessary hospitalization.
- Encourage your loved one to consider an emergency alert system, such as a pendant or bracelet they could wear. These can be crucial in summoning help if there is a sudden fall.
- Program their phone with easy to find emergency numbers, such as your number, 911, etc.
- Keep a list of current medications and routine specialists. Consider utilizing telemedicine if offered by the physician’s office to stay up to date with current recommendations.
- To better prepare in crisis planning for seniors, have a backup plan in place of potential short-term rehab communities. Tour options in advance of an unexpected hospitalization so that you or your loved one can inform the hospital of your preferred rehab communities.
- Identify and allocate caregiving responsibilities among family, friends, and other professional resources, like non-medical home care and adult day programs.
- Educate yourself and your loved one on options available for long-term care outside of the home, should their situation change. Explore long-term care communities that work with professional and reliable resources to understand what care they can provide (or not provide) and how those services are paid for. Options outside of the home may include assisted living, nursing home, memory care, adult day care, home care (medical and non-medical) and hospice.
These are some ways that we can educate ourselves and those around us to prepare for changing long-term care needs. Failing to prepare for ethe health and physical changes that come along with aging may result in a more costly and stressful outcome.
When considering options for crisis planning for seniors in your family, preparation is crucial. Please browse our website or call us at 239-434-8557 to discuss your family’s long term planning needs.