Julie brings up a great question that many of us will have to face, and most of us should face, sooner rather than later. How do we proactively bring up the topic of caregiving and long term care in our families? Whether we bring it up with our siblings or parents, it is not as easy topic to approach as Julie pointed out. Since the holiday season is almost upon us, an opportunity to have our families in a room at the same time might present itself. Often times on the trips home, we see changes in family members that might even precipitate the discussion. One way that has worked well to start the conversation without putting any one individual on the spot begins with a simple question.

“What would we do as a family if one of us needed more help than the others could provide? Of course we’ll all help each other as best we can, but at some point, we might need more help than the others could provide. At that point, we might have to pay for additional help or find other alternatives. Is that something we want to talk about? And also, if one of us does need help, how would we organize to provide that support.”

It is important to point out when you say this that it might not be mom, dad or grandmother that needs this help. It could be a knee surgery for the athlete in the family or a sickness/accident for anyone. Having these discussions with those around you sooner rather than later can open a wide variety of options for those at the table. The longer we wait many of the most appealing options both socially and financially can start to disappear due to age, illness or general lack of preparation. I’m not saying it is an easy conversation to start, but hopefully the above idea can make it easier.

Filed under: Long Term Care, Stories