Do you have a senior loved one in your family? Were you aware that May is National Older Americans Month? During the month communities, families, and loved ones are encouraged to get involved in learning about the issues that our Older Americans face as they age. This month as you visit your senior loved one, we would like to suggest 6 ways that you could help your senior loved one.
- Help by grocery shopping and meal planning. You can relieve stress for your senior loved one with mobility issues, and provide nutritious food choices. You can prepare easy-access finger foods and pre-cooked multi-serving dishes can be helpful. Using plastic cups, plates, and straws can make clean-up easy.
- Help by supervising bathing because bathtubs and showers can be slippery and dangerous. Throw rugs and other such obstacles should be removed to reduce the risk of falling. Look into adaptive bathing equipment that is helpful, such as shower chairs and hand-held showerheads.
- Help by being sure there is no lapse in dental care because a lapse in dental care for Older Americans could lead to complicated, and painful, health issues. Make sure your senior loved one is brushing his or her teeth after every meal or help keep dentures clean if he or she needs assistance. Be sure to consult a dentist for more specific advice.
- Help with medication management. Older Americans often take much more medication than a younger person. The task for your senior loved one of managing his or her medicines and prescriptions may be overwhelming. Be sure to ask your senior loved one if you could help.
- Help with checking in on estate planning. While research tells us that less than half of all Americans have an estate plan, we often find that Older Americans are in the group who have created an estate plan. The key here is to make sure that it reflects what they truly want at this point in their lives. For example, do they have the person they want in place to make decisions about their finances or health care if they do not have the capacity to act for themselves?
- Help with asking about long-term care plans. We know, as experienced Florida estate planning attorneys, that while many Older Americans have an estate plan they have not considered planning for long-term care. Consider talking to your senior loved ones about how they would pay for assistance in a long-term care facility if it was needed? Have they had a financial assessment of what they can afford? Do they have
