According to Georgetown Home Care, many older adults wait until after a crisis occurs before discussing their wishes for care, living preferences and financial details. But if you wait until an accident or health crisis occurs, those big decisions may end up being made for you.
A study published by Seniorly found that among 15,000 American seniors, 73% failed to plan in advance for their care needs, and needed immediate care following a medical crisis in 2021.
The same study notes that Americans are probably waiting too long to find care: 69% of Americans will need long-term care at some point, and among the Seniorly users actively in search of care communities, 78% are seeking care within six months, while 38% need it as soon as possible.
And many of those Seniorly users are not senior themselves — indicating that the time for autonomy may have already passed. The study found that 71.5% of respondents were shopping for someone else, meaning that the senior was not in control of their own destiny.
In short, it’s better to plan ahead, and seniors should begin to view planning for your health in advance as empowering. If you want to be in control of your future, decide things for yourself today before an emergency arises. Otherwise, choices may fall to your children, caretakers or hospital administrators.
For those ready to dive into senior planning, here are three important tips for success:
Communicate with your doctor, family and friends
Starting an open dialogue about your health with others won’t be the most fun you’ve ever had, but it’s important all the same. If you leave your health choices in someone else’s hands, chances are they’ll be stressed and scrambling, making decisions you might not have made, and it’s possible your wishes could be overlooked.
One of the first conversations you should have is with your doctor, according to the National Institute on Aging. To get the best care plans in place, you and your primary care doctor should work together as a team alongside nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare providers. This involves asking questions if the doctor’s explanations or instructions are unclear, bringing up any concerns you might have and informing the doctor if you have apprehensions about a particular treatment or change in your daily life. When you take an active role in your health, you and your doctor are equally responsible for good communication.
Similarly, when discussing your long-term care plans and needs with family and friends, communication remains critical. Conversations with loved ones can be complicated and emotional, but you can lighten the load on yourself and others by preparing in advance to touch on the topics that matter most, the Center for Mental Health and Aging recommends.
It’s natural to have mixed emotions about transitions in life, and while these conversations may be difficult to have, the results are important. Take the time to understand how you feel, and why you feel that way in advance of the conversation. When you process your own feelings before speaking, you will be more focused, grounded and empathetic during the conversation.
If loved ones seem uncomfortable or continue to put the conversation off, consider a session with a neutral party, such as a therapist or mediator who specializes in senior care.
It might take several heart-to-hearts to come up with a game plan for your caregiving needs, but never stop being your own advocate.
Work with a financial planner and lawyer to get your plan in writing
Long-term care can be expensive and complicated. That’s why meeting with financial planners and elder law attorneys to discuss your options is important, Payingforseniorcare.com says.
For many, figuring out how to pay for long-term care is a challenge. A good financial planner or advisor can assist you with retirement planning, investment strategies, care communities and much more. You can define the levels of home care, geriatric care, and social work that’s right for you, now and in the future.
With the assistance of an elder law attorney, you can create written service plans that detail your care needs, including instructions for bathing and dressing, housekeeping, managing medications, mobility, cooking, shopping, activities and transportation. You should build contingency plans for coverage when care providers are off duty, as well as instructions for fill-in caregivers.
Elder law attorneys can also create important legal instruments such as wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance directives, guardianships and more. Severe illness and disability can strike at any age, and with these plans in place, your loved ones can avoid a tremendous amount of heartache, confusion or even time in court sorting through important decisions surrounding both health and estate.
Research and tour local facilities
At some point, you may decide that a move into an independent senior living or assisted living community is in order. Like everything else in care planning, the best time to plan for that is far in advance.
Regardless of the motivation for moving, the transition into an assisted living, independent senior living or memory care residence is a significant life event that can be either wonderful or stressful depending on the level of preparation.
As a first step to identifying the ideal community for any future senior living needs, you should first understand the various types of senior living communities and the unique ways that they differ in terms of levels of care and oversight, according to Care Predict. Understand the difference between an active senior living community and an assisted living community, and identify favorites at every level of care.
Don’t be afraid to reach out and talk to your friends and family about communities you might be considering, you never know where a handy referral might come from. Also, check out other local senior care companies that can help put you in touch with nearby care experts to take you on tours and help navigate the process.
For every community you evaluate, consider first the implications on your budget and the bottom line costs to live there. For the communities that make sense financially, dive deeper. Talk with others who live in the community, check credentials, read reviews on Google and other websites, interview the staff and learn what guiding philosophies the team are built on. Find out if the community will allow you to try their respite care program in advance of signing any future move-in contract.
Above all else, have fun! Take tours, eat the cafeteria food, bring a copy of the events calendar home. When you’ve seen all you can see, unapologetically ask yourself which of the places you’ve visited could one day feel like home.
Think of how much more at ease you’ll be knowing that, if you ever do need it, you did your own research and selected a community that works for you. In a world where 73% of seniors fail to plan in advance for their care needs, you have the chance right now to be part of the 27% who do plan ahead.
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