This Guest Post is from my Mom, YAY! Since she has actual experience caring for a parent and its financial implications. I asked her to share some of her tips. This will be a 2 part series (she is kind of long winded 🙂 Find Part 2 Here
I titled this article Care giving 101 because I feel from my personal experience a series of courses should be offered.
If you are like me (a daughter, mother, wife and grandmother) there’s one particular thing your mother told you that sticks with you no matter what happens in your life……..
Mine was “WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT PUT ME IN A NURSING HOME” as it was called back in the day. Now they are known as Rehab facilities, short or long term care facilities. It can also just be a ward amongst the other sick patients, ranging in different ages young and old. Think about it, This is not really a place you want your loved one to be in if you have a choice.
So when my Mom got up in age and could no longer care for herself, it was my turn to care for her. Thanks to my Mother who lived with me my entire marriage of 25+ years. My two children (who are adults now with children of their own) never went to a babysitter, child care, daycare, nor any after school programs for working parents which I am forever grateful.
My husband was the one who called my employer and informed them I would not be returning to work. Then he started putting in extra hours at his job while we were down to one income. So, having a spouse that’s willing to put in some extra work on the job is helpful. Besides, you are his caregiver too……the wife title has many definitions. You will need to be a team,
There are things your spouse can do in addition to being the only one bringing in a paycheck. My husband also took a CPR certification class which was not only a great skill to have in case of an emergency. It also qualified us for a program that provided a grant from the State for caregivers to earn an hourly wage for 20 hrs per week for a certain amount of weeks for in home care of your parent or in my case mother in-law. It was great having the additional income. Plus…I didn’t have a stranger coming in our home as an unfamiliar face to my mom.
Next time I will talk about the number one thing you cannot neglect and why you want your insurance company and pharmacist to be your best friend.
This post was sponsored by Genworth, All opinions expressed are my own well in this case My Moms!
Andrea is the Chief Chick of Smart Money Chicks. After filing BK twice (once because she panicked, second time because the pro messed the first time up), she realized that it all could have been avoided if she understood more about how her Finances worked and the options available. At that point, she wanted to help as many as she could never make the same mistakes again. Our Promise is that all the content you read on here is created or edited by Andrea