A Heartfelt Conversation About Your Elders’ Care Wishes
Sitting down with your loved ones to discuss their care wishes is one of the most meaningful ways to ensure their future is handled with love and understanding. An annual family meeting provides the perfect opportunity to review important decisions together, making sure everyone is comfortable with the plan. These moments not only provide clarity but also peace of mind for everyone involved.
Here’s a gentle two-part guide to help you navigate the annual family planning conversation. In this edition, we will cover the POLST, POA, long-term care insurance and geriatric care. The next installment, out next month, will outline how to navigate the sometimes tricky talk through different senior care scenarios and how to capture your elders’ beautiful spirits on record.
Let’s begin.
Start with POLST and POA.
Begin by reviewing important documents, such as Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) and power of attorney (POA) designations. Ask your elders if there have been any changes to their wishes since the last time you met to ensure their preferences are clear, especially when it comes to medical and financial decisions. Take notes as you go so you are reminded in future years what was agreed to in the past. Keep it simple, like this:
- POLST forms: No changes needed, everything is up to date.
- Medical and financial POA: Confirmed and unchanged, just as they want it.
Discuss long-term care insurance.
Next, ask if your family members have long-term care insurance in place. If not, depending on their age, they may want to consider it. While premiums can be high at advanced ages, there are policies available that may make good financial sense. It’s important to weigh the risk versus reward with a reputable insurance broker. Again, note what you have aligned on, like this:
- Long-term care insurance: After some discussion, they’ve decided it’s too expensive at this stage of life.
Explore the possibility of geriatric care for ongoing health.
An annual visit with a geriatrician can be a great way to monitor health over time, establishing a baseline for cognitive and physical well-being. This gives everyone a clearer picture of overall health and helps you make informed choices together. If your family members’ healthcare provider does not offer geriatric care, ask about outcomes of annual physicals with the primary physician, then continue the conversation from there, remaining curious about any specialty care they may have recently sought. Notes might look like this:
- Annual geriatric appointments: They asked about it, but Kaiser no longer provides this type of testing. Dad mentioned a clean bill of health from his primary physician. Mom is seeing a specialist for kidney stones and may have surgery in the next few months.
Look ahead.
Remember, these conversations are not just about planning, they are about showing love and care in the most thoughtful way possible. Be sure to stay tuned for the next part of this series emerging next month, in which we will detail how you can have the delicate conversation about specific senior care scenarios, such as memory care, assisted living and hospice decisions with your elders. We will also share tips on how to preserve your elders’ legacy by capturing their beautiful spirits on record. Together, we can make these sensitive discussions a little easier, ensuring your family’s wishes are respected every step of the way.
“I had an emergency some time ago and the medical response here at Inland Christian Home was contacted, my insurance was called. It gave my daughter and me great peace of mind.”