This is the fourth installment in the Critical Dementia Skills (CDS) series. For more information on the series, start HERE. You can also click on the CDS tags in the blog for more.
As a Boy Scout and eventual Eagle Scout, I learned the importance of our motto, “Be Prepared.” As a scout, it felt more like making sure that you had all of the right equipment when hiking or camping. As I matured, it became clear that the equipment is only part of that motto. Today, it encompasses planning for future contingencies, a fancy term for having a back-up plan in case God has other plans for plan A.
When you or a loved one are impacted by Alzheimer’s or another dementia, it is crucial that the family -led by the person living with dementia’s input (in some way)- think ahead to possible outcomes. This can be scary, to daydream about negative scenarios that may never happen. Stay with me on why.
Here is a brief list of things to possible gameplan for, depending on your situation:
- If the primary caregiver gets ill (short- or longterm) or dies
- If the primary caregiver has to leave the area for a job opportunity
- The person living with dementia need 24-hour care
- The whole family must evacuate for a hurricane or after another type of natural disaster
- The person living with dementia (or anyone, really,
- There is a need for the person living with dementia to move in with family
- There is a need for moving into a senior care facility
With these scenarios:
- Who will step up to help?
- Are there legal considerations, especially making healthcare decisions?
- What are the financial ramifications?
As mentioned, it can be scary to think about a grim future in order to start planning. It’s been my experience that these are topics that many care partners worry about, sometimes without fully being aware of the fear; it’s like a cloud of ambiguous worry. By starting the conversation (the hardest part), we begin to find options that we can live with and then make decisions to find peace.
One example is a care partner in my local group that for years worried about what would happen to her loved one with dementia if she should have another heart attack. The thought was very unsettling yet, she was not comfortable thinking about placement in a facility, much less looking at potential facilities. When this care partner decided to look around, she found the right place where her husband could be cared for in case she was no longer around or able. This decision removed the weight of a boulder that was present for years. It was a blessing for her to complete this back-up plan, a blessing for me to see, and a blessing of an example for the group of care partners.
As always, the first article on a topic (the ” .0″ articles) is meant to getting everyone thinking. Future articles will go deeper, asking more questions, and looking at case studies or examples.
Questions for you to think, write down, and share in the comments section (any or all):
- If you have a plan, what advice do you have for others?
- If you do not have a plan, what do you think is holding you back?
Thank you for reading this far and for commenting. Let’s tell hundreds more care partners about this concept by sharing the article. God bless you.
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