Each family caregiver’s journey is unique and meaningful. The responsibilities of the family caregivers in our community are crucial to allowing many seniors to age in place despite living with a disability or declining health. When a family caregiver makes well-intentioned, uneducated decisions, it can often lead to challenges, financial missteps, and caregiver burnout. Maser, Amundson & Boggio is proud to offer a comprehensive Life Care Plan that will assist families in planning and finding care, paying for that care, and ensuring the proper legal documents are in place to carry out one’s wishes.
A Plan for Family Caregivers
A family caregiver is usually the person most involved in the day to day care of your loved one. Although they may not be living with the person, they may still oversee and manage everyday concerns. As they evidently have heavy responsibilities to attend to, family caregivers should not have to travel this journey alone.
Life Care Planning starts with a conversation about the options available to your loved one around the area. Your loved one’s wants and needs must be considered when making important decisions such as housing options, work opportunities, and financial moves. Your loved one with a disability should be involved in these planning conversations as much as possible, as should family members, future caregivers, legal guardians, community providers, and other supportive individuals.
The Benefits of Life Care Planning
Planning early in life can provide numerous benefits. Being prepared if the need arises is critical to experiencing positive outcomes:
- Care providers will be ready to take over in the event of incapacitation or death
- Future caregivers will better understand what works well and what does not
- Intra-family disputes will be easily avoided
- The family caregiver can see what tasks have been completed and what still needs to be accomplished
- Enables plans to be well-thought out and takes the stress out of making important decisions
NOW is the Time to Start Planning
Planning at an early age is encouraged because plans can and will change over time. Discussing long-term plans takes time and effort, so being prepared before a crisis strikes your family is key. Additionally, as mentioned before, ensuring the caregiver and family member living with a disability are heavily involved in these discussions is crucial to the success of early life care planning.
Maser, Amundson & Boggio Can Help
Intentions of families are almost always good, however many don’t know what their options are or when to call for help. When considering the various legal and financial aspects of long-term planning, it would benefit you to talk to an experienced elder law attorney to avoid confusion.
The elder law attorneys at Maser, Amundson & Boggio, P.A. support the entire family, not just the aging person. We offer peace of mind for our clients knowing that their loved ones are taken care of physically, mentally and financially. Contact us today for guidance on your caregiving journey.