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Discussing the future can be difficult for carers and family members of older Australians, people with disability, mental ill health or diminishing cognitive capacity.
Planning with the person requiring care and support.
The best time to think about how to age at home, or to transition to diverse types of care is to discuss it before your care needs increase. Planning can ensure that your preferences about types of care or treatments are established by those you have asked to take on trusted care responsibilities.
Planning benefits for carers, family members
Planning provides peace of mind for the person who needs support to live well. It is good to sit down and have a good yarn about what the person wants in their future, as their health declines or their conditions get more complex. When carers or family members take time to ask questions practically and write down the choices of the person they care for, it brings them confidence and security. They can move forward and get the supports and services the person needs with confidence that they have respected the wishes of their loved one.
Respecting Lived Experience
Older Australians and people with disabilities have often been very resilient in their lives and found positive ways through economic, physical, and attitudinal barriers over decades. A clear-eyed matter-of-fact conversation framed by respectful questions and careful listening can reduce the pressure as you sort out together the needs, wants and desires of the person you care for.
A great rule of thumb is to assume that the person at the centre of the planning underway is the expert in their life situation.
Tools to assist planned futures.
Enduring Power of Attorney
What is it?
It is a legally recognised tool that appoints a person in advance of the need to look after their assets and financial matters of the person.
Example
A son might be caring for his aging dad, who has trouble getting around, is hard of hearing, and can no longer do their banking at the branch. With a Power of Attorney, his son can pay his dad’s bills online or at the branch.
Carers NSW Australia - Enduring Power of Attorney
Advance Care Planning
What Is it?
Advance Care Planning helps to plan for future medical care. It is important for older people, who have chronic or complex health conditions, cognitive impairment or a life-limiting illness.
An Advance Care plan or directive ensures that a person’s health preferences are known and acted on when it is time.
Example
You may be caring for someone with a life-limiting illness, or where a person will experience reduced capacity due to a dementia illness. By taking note of the person’s preferences about what they would like to happen when:
- their mobility is severely reduced,
- they cannot feed themselves,
- they cannot talk any more,
- they can no longer look after their hygiene or dressing.
Then you can discuss together their preferred types of care and support and the place that happens.
See more here.
Carers NSW Australia - Advance care planning.
Emergency Planning and Disaster planning
Unplanned events can happen to any of us. This can be particularly stressful when our caring routines are interrupted by illness, death of a loved one or inability to travel. It is in circumstances like this that a plan is organised and ready so another person can step in to assist the person being cared for.
What is it?
An Emergency Care Plan outlines instructions and a guide for someone else to step in and provide the care you normally would provide. It is written down. It is a way to ensure that the person you usually care for will continue to receive the supports they usually do, should anything happen to you.
Similarly, when parts of Australia are impacted by natural disasters, including fire, flood, heat waves or other events, a disaster management plan can be a tool for any family with caring responsibilities.
See more here, including planning kits and videos.
Carers NSW Australia - Emergency planning.
