What are the Right Questions to Ask about Care Giving?

Making the aging process as safe and as comfortable as possible may seem like an insurmountable task for our loved ones. Be prepared to have difficult discussions with your entire family the quality of life of a loved one is the main focus for all involved. These three topics will help you to make sure you’re asking the right questions to ask about care giving for their needs, wants and desires when creating a care plan they’ll be comfortable and even happy with.

Day-to-day Concerns: What Primary Needs Have To Be Addressed?

Do they have issues moving around the home such as getting in and out of the bathtub or bed? Is balance an issue on stairs? Is keeping up with bills a problem? How about preparing meals? Do they make and keep appointments and do their laundry? How about understanding the doctor’s orders and take medications properly? Do they have any questions about care giving they want addressed? Sitting down with your loved one and going over their concerns to allay their fears and to make them comfortable with the future will be essential to them having a higher quality of life.

Is There A Financial Plan?

More questions about care to ask are a little less about health and more about affording the care they need. What types of financial resources are available? Do they have savings, real estate, vehicles or other assets such as IRA’s, stocks and bonds and which ones can be liquidated for health care if needed? The initial response may well be, “That’s none of your business.” Simply let them know that you don’t intend to pry but you only want to abide by their wishes. If they continue to balk, suggest they talk to someone else they trust like an attorney or a financial planner so they can keep all but the basics private.

Dividing Responsibilities: Who Has To Take The Lead?

Review your loved one’s needs with all the family members to see which are reasonable then list them out to see what will be required. See what questions they have so everyone can be involved in putting together a basic plan that enables everyone to cope with contingency factors. Other questions will be who can help with which responsibilities such as house cleaning, cooking, and transportation assistance to errands and appointments, and even managing finances?

Sticking To a Good Plan

While developing a plan for the care of your loved one’s health, safety and well-being is important, ensuring the well-being and happiness of the entire family is important as well. A good plan can prevent family members from doubting themselves and others eliminating doubt such as whether they should doing more. Addressing all questions to ask about care giving will give everyone in the family the ability to go into the future with a comfortable, positive attitude about a very difficult situation.