Does preparing for elder care seem like a task that’s far off in the future? Even if it is decades away, it can be time to start planning for it now. Whether you are planning for yourself, or helping your parents make accommodations for their care, it’s never too early to start preparing – no matter your age.
Before you enter your elderly years, there are tasks you can complete now to start preparing your estate and documenting your elder care wishes.
- Talk to Your Family: It’s essential to talk to your family about your plans for aging and the types of care you prefer. If you have health issues, you should discuss your current health status and prognosis. If you are healthy, then it’s essential to make your wishes known for the future. If you have long-term insurance, it should be brought up during this conversation. You should also talk about your wishes for housing, healthcare providers, and end-of-life care.
- Evaluate Your Finances: One of the biggest obstacles to elderly care is how to pay for it. When considering your future and your options, you should talk to a financial advisor or an elder law attorney about your finances and your options for paying for your desired elderly care options. They can help you plan for future healthcare costs and potential long-term care expenses. They can also help you create a budget for future expenses and explore available financial assistance programs.
- Look at Housing Options: It’s not too early to look at housing options, or the types of housing options available. You should determine if you prefer assisted living communities, nursing homes, or in-home care. Decide which one best meets your needs and wishes, and then evaluate the cost of each.
- Create an Advance Directive: Create an advance directive, also known as a living will. This outlines your medical treatment preferences in case you are unable to communicate your wishes or make decisions for yourself. You should also consider appointing a family member or friend as your power of attorney to make healthcare and financial decisions on your behalf.
- Build a Support Network: As you approach your elderly years, it’s important to establish a community. Connect with community resources, such as local senior centers, adult day care programs, or caregiver support groups. Consider hiring a professional caregiver to help with daily tasks or arranging for respite care to give family caregivers a break.
Making these decisions and taking these steps is never desirable, but they are essential to ensuring your wishes are carried out as you seek elder care. Putting these off until you need them can put you in a tough position to try to get your documents and finances in order. It can also leave you scrambling to find the right type of housing, limiting your choices. And if you are in an accident or are unexpectedly incapacity, without end-of-life care instructions documented — or someone appointed as power of attorney — it can prevent your wishes from being known and carried out.
Why Hire Our Elder Care Attorneys
When preparing for elderly care and making key decisions about end-of-life and establishing trusts and wills, let the experts at Johnstone Adams LLC represent you. They can help you prepare and take the stress out of the situation.
Ranked in the 2023 U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” list regionally in 12 practice areas, we have experts in many areas of law to give our clients top-notch representation. In business for more than a century, our firm can mix its experience with the ability to evolve with the changing times.
To get started, contact our elder care team at 844-682-7682 or info@johnstoneadams.com.