HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: AGING PARENTS DON'T WANT TO
BECOME A BURDEN
By: Linda LaPointe
By not planning for the future we guarantee
that we will leave our children with a
tremendous burden. Just about the time they are
preparing for their own retirement and their
children's college education, adult children
often are overwhelmed with decision-making for
their aging parents.
As a long term care administrator I heard it daily,
"I don't want to be a burden to my children."
But unintentionally most of us make it even harder
for our children by not clearly defining our wishes
or preferences. We can help them out by asserting
control over our future health care, residential choices,
and even how we will die. There are specific and discrete
steps we can take to shape our own destiny. Many of these
tasks only take a few moments of your time, some take a
little research and others may require professional
assistance. None of them are extremely costly or difficult.
So why don't more of us do this type of planning?
Seniors are concerned about losing control of their
life and being a burden to their grown children but
many just don't know what to do. For instance, the
majority of people want to die at home, but very few do.
Become familiar with your options and make your preferences
known while thinking clearly, while free from pain and
prior to an emergency or crisis.
The loss of a parent is difficult enough for an adult
child. We can save them additional grief by doing the
following,
*clean house: get rid of all the worthless clutter
and unimportant stuff
*prepare and organize those important papers and
throw out the unimportant ones
*prepare advance directives and tell others what
they contain and where they are located
*make our own funeral plans and ensure there are
sufficient funds to pay for it
*leave our legacy through writings, photo albums,
heirloom assignment and recording of family stories
You can avoid becoming a burden to your children by
taking control of your end of life with as much care,
intent and forethought as you have lived the rest of
your life.
Linda LaPointe, MRA is an ElderLife Matters coach and
author of several products to assist families
experiencing aging including the pamphlet, Don't Be a
Burden: 100 Tips. Get free articles and information at
www.SOSpueblo.com
BECOME A BURDEN
By: Linda LaPointe
By not planning for the future we guarantee
that we will leave our children with a
tremendous burden. Just about the time they are
preparing for their own retirement and their
children's college education, adult children
often are overwhelmed with decision-making for
their aging parents.
As a long term care administrator I heard it daily,
"I don't want to be a burden to my children."
But unintentionally most of us make it even harder
for our children by not clearly defining our wishes
or preferences. We can help them out by asserting
control over our future health care, residential choices,
and even how we will die. There are specific and discrete
steps we can take to shape our own destiny. Many of these
tasks only take a few moments of your time, some take a
little research and others may require professional
assistance. None of them are extremely costly or difficult.
So why don't more of us do this type of planning?
Seniors are concerned about losing control of their
life and being a burden to their grown children but
many just don't know what to do. For instance, the
majority of people want to die at home, but very few do.
Become familiar with your options and make your preferences
known while thinking clearly, while free from pain and
prior to an emergency or crisis.
The loss of a parent is difficult enough for an adult
child. We can save them additional grief by doing the
following,
*clean house: get rid of all the worthless clutter
and unimportant stuff
*prepare and organize those important papers and
throw out the unimportant ones
*prepare advance directives and tell others what
they contain and where they are located
*make our own funeral plans and ensure there are
sufficient funds to pay for it
*leave our legacy through writings, photo albums,
heirloom assignment and recording of family stories
You can avoid becoming a burden to your children by
taking control of your end of life with as much care,
intent and forethought as you have lived the rest of
your life.
Linda LaPointe, MRA is an ElderLife Matters coach and
author of several products to assist families
experiencing aging including the pamphlet, Don't Be a
Burden: 100 Tips. Get free articles and information at
www.SOSpueblo.com
