Being Prepared
While Care Partners is glad to assist clients at any stage of their journey with caregiving, aging or advanced illness, we often wish we could be there earlier. Upstream. Before the crisis. When there is time and energy to plan, think things through, and gather support. While it’s tempting to procrastinate, we urge you to plan ahead if you or someone you love faces chronic illness or memory loss. We’d be glad to help you at any step along the way. Here are some things to think about.
- Talk about the important things now.
- Meet with your doctor to understand what you are facing & options for care.
- Complete a Health Care Directive and do Long Term Care planning.
- Make a plan based on your goals, health care choices, and circumstances.
- Find resources and gather support.
- Consider legal matters.
- Know your finances, how care will be paid for, and the limitations of Medicare when it comes to long term care.
Resources:
- Care Partners RN Care Coordinator Marnie Hovland, 387-3787
- AARP at www.aarp.org for a free Prepare to Care planning kit
- Honoring Choices Minnesota, www.honoringchoices.org, for health care planning
- Minnesota Live Well at Home, www.mnlivewellathome.org, to identify and manage risks
- Senior LinkAge Line, 1-800-333-2433, to learn what Medicare will pay for
- Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org, for resources to plan for memory issues.
- Senior Citizens Law Project, 855-204-1697, Legal Aid Service of NE Minnesota