Whether by aging or a sudden accident, we can find ourselves in need of a caregiver, whether that be by a loved one, a skilled facility or a home health professional.

Choosing your future care can be a daunting task, but can be much easier on loved ones when you have pre-planned. The decisions made for your future care should be discussed with all family members and documented. It's best if this documentation is kept with other documents such as Advanced Directives, Medical Power of Attorney and Wills.

Some of the decisions that will need to be made will include appointing a health care administrator; who will be allowed to discuss your care with doctors and caretakers; will there be shared responsibilities; what information will you expect your caregiver to share with you.

It is helpful to the caregiver and other family members if you compile a list of financial responsibilities, sources of income and any banking information. This will help tremendously in the event that you are unable to communicate with them regarding such things.

Any information regarding insurance policies, medicare, and prescription plans should also be readily available.

When pre-planning your future care, you will want to provide options for In-Home Care, Skilled Facility Care, Assisted Living and even a shared residence with a family member.

It is also important to make sure a list of any special medical considerations your caregiver should know about you. For example allergies to medications and foods is very good for the caregiver to know.

Remember that once a caregiver is selected, they should be added to a list of who is allowed to speak to your medical professionals. Because of the HIPAA laws,you may need to fill out a form with each medical provider.

When creating your plan for future care, involve not only your family, but all your medical providers. The more people who know your wishes, the better chance you have of your care being carried through exactly as you wish.

Download information on Legal and Financial Planning for people with Alzheimer's

provided by:

The National Institute on Aging

“The National Aging Institute's Web site (http://www.nia.nih.gov) is an institute of the NIH, a U.S. Federal Government agency that provides accurate, up-to-date information about aspects of aging research, information about clinical trials, educational materials and resources about aging for the general public, and information for researchers and health professionals.”

End of Life Care

Just as is the start of life, end of life is a very unique and personal journey. It is important that during this time, we have the support and comfort we need to complete this journey. Relieving ones suffering during this time is critical!

Death is different for everyone and requires individual needs. Because the needs of each person are different, it is important that although uncomfortable for some, the needs are communicated. From keeping someone comfortable to fulfilling spiritual and emotional needs, impending death can bring on many phases to both the dying and the loved ones. It is very important that this person has complete support of their wishes.

It is common for the dying to want to be at home. If the medical professionals decide that they can go home, there is a lot of preparation that may need to be done. Medical equipment may need to be brought in, such as a bed, a portable toilet and perhaps even oxygen. These are decisions that can only be made by the medical experts. The medical team will stay in communication with the caregivers, nurses and home health aides. Home is where the patient is most comfortable, and with some preparation can aide in a very peaceful journey.

Often at this stage, the patient will be heavily medicated to prevent pain and suffering. This can make it challenging to know if the needs are being met or not. During End of Life Care, the caregiver will begin to look for signs such as temperature fluctuation, irritability, loss of appetite and restlessness. It is common for the patient to fatigue easily and will fall in and out of sleep in moments.

While everyone's time to die is different, it is important to prevent other sources of discomfort. Keeping the bed elevated can help when breathing becomes difficult. Frequent turning from one side to another or to the back will help prevent bed sores. Keeping lotion on their skin and using lip balm can help from cracking dry skin and lips.

Because of the medications, often the patient will develop indigestion, diarrhea or constipation and heart burn. This may cause loss of appetite and disinterest in foods. Bland foods should be offered but not forced. The medical professionals may insert a feeding tube, and with good communication the best decisions can be made.

One of the most important things a caregiver can do for the patient at this time is simply offering them companionship. Because going on this journey can bring on many highs and lows, just having someone to talk to, hold hands with or have their shoulders rubbed can make such a difference! Often even one who never really had spirituality, will become very spiritually aware and offering someone to pray or read scriptures will be rewarding to them.

Family members are often the ones who are giving the End of Life Care. It is important to offer them help, but this offer should be very specific toward what you can do. Help can be as simple as answering the phone, reading the mail, running errands or just sitting with the dying person while the caregiver takes a break.

Guardian Angels offers End of Life Care, and also offers Respite Care so the caregiver can have some of the burden lifted from them.

For more information on End of Life, download the End Of Life Brochure provided by:

The National Institute on Aging

“The National Aging Institute's Web site (http://www.nia.nih.gov) is an institute of the NIH, a U.S. Federal Government agency that provides accurate, up-to-date information about aspects of aging research, information about clinical trials, educational materials and resources about aging for the general public, and information for researchers and health professionals.”

Quality Care

How is Quality Care defined? There are many ways to approach this determination, but below is a list of questions that can help.

Once a caregiver has been selected, communication is key to ensure that Quality Care is maintained.

If you know that the person who will be receiving care is going to need assistance getting up, then you will need to make sure the caregiver will be able to lift.

Asking for a complete list of services the Agency or caregiver can provide will help ensure you are going to have the care you need.