Having a loved one proceed with having an advance directive completed and legally approved is a great way to ensure that they are receiving the loving care that they want later on in their life, but problems can still come up once in a while. There are plenty of stories out there about elderly folk that were adamantly against prolonged hospital stays, life support, or certain types of treatment, yet end up having those things administered anyway. Perhaps the thing that is most often spoken out against is the nursing home. Still, thousands of people end up in nursing homes each year anyway, even though they were strongly opposed to being there.
In some cases, a nursing home is the only choice, or is the best choice, even. That’s certainly not the case for everyone, though. In some cases, even if a nursing home is unwanted, there’s no legal way to keep them out of one. An advance directive could help, but sometimes that’s the only alternative. This usually occurs in low income households where private care cannot be afforded or where there is no family to step in and offer an alternative. This is why the advance directive is just one piece of the puzzle. If your loved one wants to stay out of a nursing home, or off of life support, or something else, then you need to have this put down not just as a legal document, but you need to have a team of people that love them and will speak up for them. And that team needs to be put down in writing, too. If you can add this to the advance directive, then great. Otherwise, power of attorney, along with a couple back ups, will also suffice. Ask a lawyer for advice before you proceed here, of course.
Most seniors prefer staying in their own homes as they age, and this makes in-home care a very important tool in the world of senior care. Taking steps to make sure that this is what they are receiving if it is what they want is not only smart to do, but it is the loving thing to do, too. Being a spokesperson for them is important, but it’s often just not enough to keep them happy. If something were to happen to you where you could not be an advocate for your mom or dad, then other measures need to be put into place. This is where advance directives, like a living will or trust, can be so beneficial. There can be shortcomings with these, though. If an unforeseen possibility were to arise, the advance directive wouldn’t directly cover the situation and others would need to interpret what your loved one would want. This isn’t exactly an ideal situation, so being prepared ahead of time is your best option. Be as thorough as possible, and have other people close to your parent that are able to speak for them if they can’t speak for themselves. Not only will this help to direct their care in the direction that they would most likely want it to go, it allows them to be happier in the long run knowing that there is a team of people out there that loves them and wants the best for them.
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