As we approach the end of another year many people will be looking forward to the festive season and the chance to slow down and catch up with family, particularly elderly parents. Busy lives and distant homes can make it easy to feel out of touch. Sadly, at this time of year adult children may also begin to notice changes in their ageing parents.
It’s distressing and worrying to accept that your parents who were once vital may soon need help to manage their day to day needs. Hard decisions may need to be made and many children and parents will need professional guidance to convert the mountain of data on aged care into meaningful and relevant information and ultimately into appropriate decisions.
Did You Know?
Many older Australians live alone, and families may not notice the decline in an older person’s ability to live independently. The Christmas/New Year period can be a time when families come together and have an opportunity to observe how well a parent is coping.
It might be time for a family meeting
The New Year is traditionally a time to take stock and plan ahead. If you have elderly parents, this year’s planning should include family discussions to help parents plan ahead for the help they may need.
If you are in fact that elderly parent, Christmas time provides you an opportunity to discuss your care needs with your adult children. Make yourself heard. Have these discussions earlier whilst you are still able to maintain your control and independence, to anticipate how your need for care may increase. Christmas time might be one of the few opportunities during the busy year for discussions with all those people who are important to you.
If thought of this discussion fills you with dread, we can help. Brenda Will, DLP Life Design’s specialist aged care financial adviser is an experienced and passionate Accredited Aged Care Professional and can provide invaluable support and advice to you and your family.
The value of a family meeting
A family meeting is often an essential step in planning for aged care and may help to minimise conflicts within your family. Emotional conflicts between family members can make the transition to care more distressing for an elderly parent and have the potential to rip families apart.
A well-run family meeting can allow parents, children and other family members to discuss issues and preferences, express concerns and make decisions that work for your family as a whole.
As an Accredited Aged Care Professional Brenda can also assist with arranging and running a family meeting to help your family see the big picture more objectively. She can provide a neutral voice in what can be an overwhelmingly emotional discussion, so you can consider the best options for your parents’ care, security and happiness.
The earlier you take this step, the better. Planning ahead ensures that parents are fully involved in the decision-making and removes some of the stress from other family members. With a well organised plan in place, your family can respond more quickly and effectively when an event requiring a move to aged care occurs.
Please come and talk to us today.
Brenda Will is an ACS Accredited Aged Care Professional™ and can take away a lot of the stress and complexity of the aged care process. Call us at DLP Life Design on 08 6110 7426 to discuss your situation further.
Disclaimer:
Brenda Will and Collective Wellness Enterprises Pty Ltd ACN 611 995 110 atf TK Family Trust t/as dlp Life Design are Authorised Representatives of Synchron AFS Licence No 243313.
This advice may not be suitable to you because it contains general advice that has not been tailored to your personal circumstances. You should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs and where appropriate, seek personal financial and tax and/or legal advice prior to acting on this information. The material contained in this article is based on information received in good faith from sources within the market, and on our understanding of legislation and Government press releases at the date of publication, which are believed to be reliable and accurate.
Opinions constitute our judgement at the time of issue and are subject to change. Before acquiring a financial product a person should obtain a Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) relating to that product and consider the contents of the PDS before making a decision about whether to acquire the product.