What can be done by families to help the elderly plan for their future?
A family is a unit of immense possibilities, dreams, wishes, and the future. Every family will age, and that will require a lot of planning, years before one may ever need help in the form of humans or resources. As a general rule, most families in the world can barely meet two square meals a day… while most have aged and are being cared for by their families in their own homes. Those days may be numbered as people seek out ways out of their territory or domain of expertise for various reasons. This is the phenomenon of global aging, as we will see in the next few decades. While on one hand, more families will be united, on the other hand, more families will be separated.
Elderly or Aging Planning can come in all dimensions, times, scenarios, and even financial freedoms. It is
It is never too late or too right to talk about this delicate topic, and more often than not, this conversation can turn hot, ugly, or resentful, even in many happy families.
Here are some ways for families to help their elderly plan for their future
- Have a thorough medical checkup of the elderly.
- Help them understand their finances through financial programs and resources.
- Make a list of wishes, wants, needs, haves, and undesired.
- Make a list of current resources or possible future resources in case of an emergency,
Resources can be in terms of manpower, finances, community support, interests, affiliations, and
more. - Value the reasons for the designation of DPOA for finances, healthcare, and others
- Complete a personal will and trust if need be as per the situation.
- Keep a checklist of what the elderly have in terms of assets and so on… in order to draw up
some key decisions - Plan according to the age, the conditions, and predictions of possibilities for the future, though that
may never turn out the way someone predicted. - Planning must be done as a way to ease out future pains rather than as a deliberate attempt to
clear future problems… - Planning must definitely include the related parties and must be done ethically, legally, and morally and respectfully.
- Planning must be private, respecting privacy is key in all negotiations and sometimes there is
more to deal with than too many hands in the pot. - Personalities can clash, but one must be reminded that these are necessary for the best interests
of the individual. - Keeping a tab on personal health incidents can be truly helpful, even if there is a change in
planning for the future, a chronological history is of mighty importance as proof. - An introduction to supporting resources is very helpful, even if it may not be the right time.
- Bringing clarity with legality is nurturing on many occasions.
- Preparation mentally is key, as such conversations can take a very long time sometimes
- A kind smile, a clap, a soft cue, or a word can be a blessing.
We have discovered that many more ideas are out there that work. The key factors are trust,
communication, reliability, accuracy, clarity, transparency, and accountability. No conversations are
easy and a lot of elderly people in the world end up being homeless or discarded due to poor or improper planning or execution of such. I have seen many such things in my first company. Many times the fault. never lie within one framework but in the entangled web of our lives. Senior well-being and homelessness are key factors in longevity, cozy living, life’s simple pleasures, or miHygge as we call it. Our world will never be the same after COVID-19, but we can still build a future for our elderly and aged. We would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and comments. We appreciate the info as we rediscover senior living and life! Thank you.