If your mother or father has been diagnosed with dementia, you might be worried about how best to take care of him or her. Dementia is likely to get worse over time, and it’s a good idea to take care of some matters before the disease has reached a severe stage. Alzheimer’s home care can help. Here are a few tips for caregivers:
Estate Planning
Planning for your parents’ financial future is best done in the early stages of dementia, preferably at a time that the patient is still competent enough to make decisions. In these early stages, a mother or father may understand the need to assign a power of attorney to a trusted relative.
It’s important to understand the laws surrounding the power of attorney. People who hold power of attorney are accountable to the courts for how they spend money on behalf of their aging loved ones. Parents should be educated about the role that power of attorney plays, as well.
A parent or grandparent can only sign such a power of attorney document if he or she is still legally responsible for his or her actions. If a doctor or hospital has deemed an elder incompetent, then the family can only obtain control over the patient’s finances by obtaining legal guardianship.
Advocating For Health
Caregivers often need to accompany their elderly parents to the doctor to make sure that someone understands all of the medical recommendations. Be sure to ask the doctor questions about medications and daily care, keeping in mind that a dementia patient may not think to ask important questions.
It’s also a good idea to keep a patient journal for your mother or father with dementia. This journal can be kept online or in a book at your parents’ house if you think that your mother or father will not object to its presence.
Everyone who visits or cares for the patient should contribute to the journal every time they interact with the patient.
These entries can be short and along the lines of:
- “Mom ate lunch with me today.”
- “She forgot the word for “steak.”
- “She no longer seems to like bananas.”
Though these journals may seem like busy work initially, they will, over time, help family members track the progress of the disease and provide a clear picture of what the patient can and can’t do. They will also provide valuable information about what triggers distress or anxiety in your mother or father. You can then avoid those triggers, and get everyone else who works with the patient to avoid them also.
Home care professionals who attend to your mother should be enlisted to contribute to the journals in the last ten minutes of every visit. Because home care aides often observe the most details about a dementia patient, their contributions will be vital.
In conclusion, no one hopes a parent will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia. But there are important things you can do to keep your parent comfortable and safe. Plan for your parent’s future financial needs while your parent is still able to participate in that conversation. Keep a journal that will track the progress of the disease. And hire home care. Home care is the best way to maintain a beloved parent’s quality of life.
Providing exceptional Alzheimer’s Home Care for seniors and families in Northern Virginia area including Arlington, Alexandria, McLean, Reston, Burke, Ashburn, Centreville, Springfield, Manassas, and Oakton. Call today to speak with our caring staff: (703) 272-8838
Sources
https://www.klenklaw.com/practices/estate-planning/important-documents-for-life-events/estate-planning-alzheimers-and-dementia/
https://www.nextavenue.org/guardianship-hell/
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