Stay Golden: The Broken Plan

“My grandmother’s “Long-Term Care plan” was when she need extra care she would move into the same Assisted Living Facility that her sisters were living in. Those plans changed when she got dementia.

She began to show signs of impairment in her reasoning and judgment. She refused to live in any type of Assisted Living facility. She became very stubborn and would only allow my mom to take care of her. My mother did her best to care for her but without any outside help it became very hard on her emotionally, as well as, physically and financially. This caused many hardships within my family that are still relevant today. There were many disagreements between family members as to her care, how to pay for it and who was going to do it. To this day some of my family members do not speak because of this difficult period of time. Even though my grandmother has been gone for years our family’s legacy seems to be blemished by this difficult event. That’s not what my grandmother and grandfather would have wanted for our family.

This is what not having a plan for the future can look like. Unfortunately with the growing need for Long-Term Care, it is inevitable for most families at some point in their life to see either a family member or themselves need some form of Long-Term Care. The best way to prevent hardships and family burdening is to have a plan of action before it is too late. Make a plan so that your wishes will not be missed or forgotten as my grandmothers were. She wouldn’t have wanted an ongoing battle between family members but when emotional turmoil, physical exhaustion and depleting finances are involved, it became a stressful time for all.

Make a plan and encourage your family members to do the same, that way when the time comes, or worse, if dementia or Alzheimer’s hits a family as it did mine, at least the relief of having a plan in place for their Long-Term Care will help ease the emotional strain it has on an individual and their family.”

“Help your family finish strong. Have the talk.”