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Is it time to have THAT talk with Mom and Dad? Help them age with grace by checking out these 6 quick tips for taking care of your parents as they get older.
Your parents reared you, cared for you when you were a youngster and it’s getting to that point where you may need to return the favor.
Face it; your parents aren’t getting younger. With age comes difficulty caring for one’s self. Is it time for you to begin taking care of your parents?
It might be a difficult discussion to have with your aging parents. Consider how difficult it may be to relinquish themselves over to anyone. These six tips may just help you deal with taking care of your elderly parents.
1. Sit Down and Talk with Them
Certainly, the first step in caring for your parents is possibly the most difficult. Sitting down and speaking with your parents may seem like an intimidating deed, especially since it’s easy for them to dive into an angry state.
Treat this as an intervention and plan for this talk. Speak with your parents about what you’re concerned about. Do they have any plans, such as hiring a live-in nurse? Do they need to make accommodations for their living space? Also, determine how much time you would need to devote to their well-being.
2. Taking Care of Your Parents Can Be Time Consuming
If you plan on taking the burden of caring for your parents, you must know how time and cost-intensive it is.
Sure, you may feel like you can provide for your elderly parents right now but think about caring for your parents weeks, months, even years down the line. How will you share your duties with any siblings?
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Come up with a solid plan that doesn’t result in putting yourself, or your siblings, at risk.
3. Hiring A Nurse
Perhaps you can’t take on the burden of parent caring full-time so you decide to look into hiring a nurse. This is an important decision to make as you don’t want anyone off the street to care for your parents. You need to take them through a vetting process to ensure you’re making the right decision.
If your parents are veterans, you may want to look into Senior Veterans Care Network, Aid & Attendance. You can find VA accredited agents who can assist in caring for your veteran parents.
4. Sign All Legal Documents Necessary
If the recent deaths of celebrities have taught us anything is the importance of a will. Get with a lawyer and file for power-of-attorney, which will allow you to make the tough decisions should that time come.
Have them sign a will to determine how their estate should be divided amongst family. Taking care of your parents also involves planning for the inevitable.
5. Saving Money
There are resources meant to help save you and your loved ones money on medical bills, prescription medications, and any caregiving expenses.
See what options are available to you from state to federal programs meant to help you save on expenses.
6. Become a Live-In Nurse
Leaving someone else in charge to care for your parents can be daunting. Why not take the necessary steps to become a live-in nurse? While this might be the most time consuming to get situated, it might be the most rewarding.
If your parents on Medicaid, you could be eligible for financial aid. Not every state offers this, so do some research to check if you’re in a qualifying state.
Want to Keep Reading?
Taking care of your parents won’t happen without serious planning. These tips can help you make better decisions as your parents begin nearing their lives.
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