Most of us who have aging parents go about our daily lives without much thought about what our parents might need if they suddenly became incapacitated or severely ill. Our parents are relatively healthy and self-sufficient, but as they continue to age the likelihood that a critical incident will create a sudden need for us to intervene increases. At HelpWithMyParents.com we think of a critical incident as any event that rapidly changes the circumstances of an older adult, or couple, requiring rapid intervention by family or other concerned persons. Some common critical incidents include: a fall that results in significant injury, a death that exposes significant vulnerabilities in the surviving spouse, the onset of an acute illness (especially if it leads to a delirium). The critical incident may also result from an unexpected reaction to an elective surgery.When these critical incidents occur, the need for action on the part of the adult children, and other caregivers, is often immediate and significant. The time and resource demands placed on loved ones can be very disruptive to their daily lives leaving them feeling overwhelmed. HelpWithMyParents.com was started as a response to the unmet need for a place that the adult children of aging parents could go to get all of their needs met when they are called to action.
There are several things that can be done to mitigate the impact of these critical incidents before they occur. The first thing is to make sure that there is a current set of advance directives. Beyond advance directives, it is also helpful to have a plan for who in the family (and non-family support system) will take on specific responsibilities. This type of planning may seem like a low priority when everything is going well, but a plan can be put together fairly quickly and the benefits down the road are significant for all involved.
If you would like to put together a plan to prepare for a critical incident but feel like you need help to do so contact us at helpformyparents.com and we will assist you.
