#5 Caregiving Tip: Get your family's papers in order

from When My Mother No Longer Knew My Name: a son's "course" in "rational" caregiving by Stephen L. Goldstein, Ph.D.

The following discussion may sound cold and mechanical, but it is the most important series of actions any family must take. You will be asking your family members to put in writing who gets what from their estate, as well as when a machine keeping them alive should be shut off--or not.

Get your family's papers in order (living will, healthcare surrogate, will, durable power of attorney, do not resuscitate, etc.), as well as written instructions about everyone's preferences for how they wish to be cared for (yes or no to a nursing home, feeding tube, etc.) and how they wish their remains to be treated (buried, cremated).

Unless YOU make these decisions, they may be made FOR you by a court, hospital, or other authority--against YOUR or your family member's wishes.

Rate your willingness to do this from 0 (not at all) to 10 (of course): 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

If you're not ALREADY a 10, what will it take for you to become one? _________________________________________________________________________________

Today, order When My Mother No Longer Knew My Name: a son's "course" in "rational" caregiving by Stephen L. Goldstein, Ph.D.
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