We live in a transient society these days which means families are often spread apart in different towns and often different states. This distance raises concerns and challenges for the 34 million Americans that currently provide care to older loved ones (15% of those live a minimum of 1 hour away from that loved one). Setting up and managing care for a loved one from a distance can be tricky and if you are facing this situation, please take a look at the Long Distance Caregiving guide we have available for download in our Resource Center.
The guide details the specifics of setting up and managing care from a distance including
- Assessing the situation
With what does the loved one need assistance? Do they need help with Activities of Daily Living (also known as “ADLs” and include bathing, transporting, feeding) or “supportive care” (laundry, housekeeping grocery shopping etc).
- Locating and implementing community resources
Depending on the needs determined in the assessment you will need to locate resources locally to support those needs. If they have a long term care insurance policy and qualify for receiving care, contact their insurance agent for guidance. If they do not have a policy or only need supportive care, some resources include local hospitals, social workers, senior centers. A federally funded program to assist in locating help for elders is Eldercare Locator.
- Organizing and tracking important documents
Keep track of copies of important docuements and information such as Social Security and Medicare cards, birth certificates, physician names and numbers.
- Ongoing Care Monitoring
When you have care in place you will need to routinely and randomly monitor the quality by visiting (both announced and unannounced) and through phone calls and email.
- Maintaining control of your own life while caring for an older loved one
Often personal lives are put on the backburner when caring for a loved one. The guide provides tips on how to avoid neglecting those areas.
The task of caring for a loved one can have a huge emotional and financial impact. But preparation and ongoing management of the situation can lessen these impacts.
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