By Mimi Buderus, Owner, Right at Home Tampa
April 16, 2012, was the 5th Annual National Healthcare Decisions Day. Setting a day to focus on this subject is meant to inspire, educate and empower the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning. Being in the healthcare world, I often see people plan for the “big” crises that get addressed in documents like living wills and healthcare surrogate provisions. These are vitally important and everyone, no matter what age, should have them. However, caregivers to the seriously ill, aging, or those with some form of dementia often don’t think through the “what ifs” that can cause an unexpected crisis.
- What if you are the sole caregiver to your spouse with dementia and you have to have sudden surgery or become ill enough to go to the hospital? Who will take care of your loved one?
- What if you are in an accident and the person in the car with you has dementia? Would that person be able to take care of themselves while you’re transported to the hospital and out of commission?
- What if your mother has been doing okay living at home alone but has an accident and you’re told she can no longer live alone? Do you know the best assisted living or skilled nursing facility to move her to, how to pay for it, and what resources might be available to her to provide the services?
- What if your sibling, that you’re now responsible for, really could stay at home with some assistance in bathing, housekeeping, and transportation to doctors’ appointments? Do you know the most reliable homecare providers in the area, and do you know the difference between the providers’ business models of homecare and how that might affect you and your loved one?
It’s not enough just to have the legal documents – people need to talk to family members and providers to get educated about their choices to minimize conflict and promote comfort when the “what ifs” actually happen. To learn more visit www. nhdd.org for legal document advice and www.rightathome.net/tampa/ to learn how we can help you plan for the “what ifs” in your life.
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Right at Home Of Tampa
Contact: Mimi Buderus
Work Tampa, Florida United States
Work Phone: 813-514-4724
Work Email: rahtampa@tampabay.rr.com
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