Make Room for Long-Term Care in your family vacation plans

The holiday season is always special; it is a time when we gather with friends and family to celebrate long traditions and find the time to make new ones. holiday tours can also be a great opportunity to talk to your aged parents and family members about their needs for potential long-term care.

But where to start? Your overall goal should be to welcome an honest conversation about their current health status. Here are some questions to keep in mind:

Assess their ability to live independently

• Do they struggle to dress or use toilet without help?
• Are they able to give a hand in the kitchen or feed properly during dinner?
• can they get around their home safely or that the house has security problems?
• they are dealing with other daily tasks?

consider their overall health

• How are they feeling?
• Have they had any recent visits to the doctor or exams they are willing to discuss?
• Have they clearly lost weight and are they maintain their health?

observe their emotional and mental state

• are they are they a positive or often need encouragement to perform ordinary tasks?
• are they still participate in their usual Activities and hobbies?
• Are periodic memory lapses, such as forgetting names of relatives or household items, disrupt their lives?
• Do they ask the same questions repeatedly?

You can also test their memory during holiday visits by requesting dates or significant events or by giving a few key words to remember and asking them to repeat any words long your visit.

phone calls and emails are a great way to check regularly aging parents and relatives, but the holiday tours can be a valuable opportunity to get a clear picture of their well-being. As you catch up on the events of the year and relive old memories to your holiday gatherings this year, spend some time considering the future of your family. It may prove to be the right time to take the first step toward planning for long term care and discuss how solutions such as long term care insurance can help preserve their independence and ensure that their needs are satisfied.