Is Your Family Prepared and Protected?

1.       Stay Home.  Really.  It is common for the older generation to want to continue to do everything for themselves.  After all, they survived World Wars, Depression, food shortages, HIV/AIDS epidemic, etc. (for a quick and fun history refresher and family dance party during quarantine, ask Alexa to play Billy Joel “We Didn’t’ Start the Fire”). To give up control over this virus may seem unimaginable to some.  The truth is, however, that this disease hits those over 60 (and the immunocompromised) disproportionately harder.  Make an extra trip to the store for your loved ones.  Encourage them to stay home by anticipating their needs and “getting rid” of the excuses for them to make trips out of the house.   If you need help or local resources to make this happen for your loved ones, contact our office and we’ll put you in touch with the right people.

2.      Seek at In-Home Care Services.  Did you know that you can hire a Home Health Aide or a Care Manager on a short-term basis to check in on your loved ones? These individuals can be there for your family member when you can’t by performing wellness checks, bringing supplies, assisting with food preparation, medication management, or spending quality time together to alleviate “cabin fever”.  Good agencies have precautions and preparations in place to limit the aide’s ability to transmit the virus.  If you don’t know where to start, contact our office for a list of local resources available, including aides, care managers, delivery services.

3.      Make Sure Your Legal Documents are In Place.  Did you know that absent a legal designation, you cannot make decisions or perform basic financial, legal, healthcare tasks on someone else’s (over 18 years old) behalf, even if that person is your family member? Has your loved one legally designated a trusted individual as their Agent for financial and legal decision making? Has your loved one appointed someone to make medical decisions on their behalf, in the event he or she cannot communicate his or her wishes? Has your family put off getting these documents in place due to lack of time, motivation or urgency? Use the quarantine time wisely and contact us for an educational “Estate Planning Wellness Checkup” to determine what documents are right for your family.  Learn what a Power of Attorney, Living Will/Healthcare Proxy and HIPAA Authorization are and how they can help you.  Make sure your loved one has the documents in place to allow you to step in and provide assistance in the event of an emergency.  Did you know our office makes house visits and can provide telephonic and/or video conferencing consultation services to get these documents done in a hurry?  Contact our office to set up your telephonic or video consultation now.