November 25, 2014
Preparing to Become your Parents Caregiver
As November comes to a close, we have been celebrating National Family Caregiver month. For those of us who are caring for loved ones, every month is family caregiver month. However, for those who have aging parents, a little preparation can go a long way when the time comes to step into this role. 
Robert L. Kane, MD, Chair of Long-term Care and Aging at the University of Minnesota has prepared a list of suggestions that will save you time and anxiety in the future. In a recent article, How to Prepare to Become Your Parents’ Caregiver, Dr. Kane suggests placing the following items in a looseleaf binder for future reference:
- List of your parents’ bank accounts
- List of all their insurance policies
- Doctor contact information
- Medical diagnoses
- List of medications
- Advance Directives
- Information about their finances — investments, assets, pensions and retirement information (including Social Security)
We may never be totally prepared for the day we become a caregiver, but getting ahead of the game will make it much less emotional and troublesome. Don’t wait until it’s too late, having these items in an easy to find place could be vital for quick decisions that have to be made.
In addition, for those who are already family caregivers, we offer FREE family caregiver workshops on Alzheimer’s & Dementia as well as basic caregiving skills. Next workshops dates in Jonesboro are set for Dec 3 for A/D and Dec 9/10 for Caregiving Skills. Call 870-207-7600 for more information.