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 is part 2 of a 2 part series. You can find part 1 here (she is kind of long winded )
I ended my last post telling you about how involving you spouse not only can mean life or death but it can also provide you with away to lessen the financial burden a little. Your spouse is not quite down yet.
I also trained my Husband to care for Mom if I needed to go to the store or run any other errands. I only left the house 2 or 3 times in the 9-12 months that I cared for her. But you must remember to care for yourself first. Many caregivers forget to do this. I have to say this is something you do not want to neglect. Your loved one is depending on you and many times others are also. So, go to a movie or to the park. You will need a breather so you don’t get overwhelmed.
Depending on your loved ones ailment, your Primary Care Physician will have a nurse make daily visits to handle all medical issues plus they are supposed to be the doctors eyes and ears in case x-rays or lab work is needed. This is when having a Long Care Insurance policy in place can make all the difference.
Remember to schedule them to come out early not at 9 p.m. at night. They will try. I think that’s how I learned so much about care giving; I would have everything done by the time the nurse made her round to our house. It made it so much easier.
Last be not least, find a Pharmacy and Medical supply company that delivers. It can be a lifesaver and usually your Primary Care Physician will have a company to refer you to or you can look in your Insurance Providers Handbook. This alone will take so much stress off of you, you would be amazed.
I hope the tips I provided for you are helpful and if anything will make you set the time aside to think about what will happen if your parents get sick and need around the clock care. This is the time to look at their finances, your finances, insurance, other benefits, etc. It is best to at least have some sort of plan in place. If you find that you never thought about it at all. This is the time.
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