Becoming The Best Advocate For An Aging Parent
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We are all getting older and many of us have loved ones who are starting to reach an advanced age. While many people retain their independence right up to the end of their life, that’s not always the case. Aside from learning how to take care of the needs of someone who is becoming more dependent on you, it can be important to learn how to be their advocate when it comes to their health, legal, and other needs. Here are a few tips on how you can do that.
Become more involved with their healthcare!
A lot of people experience that their loved ones can be a little stubborn when it comes to taking care of their health, such as making visits to the doctor or checking out on health issues affecting them. While you can try to persuade them to take their health more seriously, you might find that, in some cases, older people can be intimidated by navigating the health world alone. You can encourage them by offering to go with them to appointments, asking questions for them, and generally helping them better manage their healthcare so that it isn’t as daunting to get the help they might need.
Get the power of attorney you need.
It might be the case that your loved one is equipped with the mental faculties to be able to explain their wishes properly, but they might still want your help in managing their affairs. In that case, you might want to look at how to have them grant the power of attorney to you so that you’re able to make the decisions in their best interest, and an attorney can help you with this.
Become a guardian for them.
An attorney can also be helpful if you’re hoping to be able to make the best decisions for your loved one, but they don’t have the capability to make decisions for themselves, so it’s impossible for them to give you the power of attorney. A guardianship attorney can see you give them the role and responsibilities of their adult guardian. This is typically provided in the event that a loved one isn’t in good health or is experiencing memory loss or any other disability that might make it impossible for them to care for themselves and their property.
Show resolve and be consistent.
Treating your loved one with care and attention is crucial if you want to be their advocate. If they’re in a care home or under the supervision of a carer or healthcare service, however, you also need to show some real tenacity. Holding caregivers accountable is important, and you should make sure that you know how to ask the right questions, educate yourself about any care system that they’re in, and how to address any complaints that you might have about their living situation or care standard.
Being someone’s advocate is not always easy, by any means. However, with the tips above, you can hopefully manage it a little easier.
*This article is based on personal suggestions and/or experiences and is for informational purposes only. This should not be used as professional advice. Please consult a professional where applicable.
