It can be hard to talk about certain topics with your family, especially when it concerns senior’s ability to live alone when they grow older, or related to what needs to be done in the event that they suffer from a terminal illness.

It’s understandable – no one wants to talk or even mentioning about the bad stuff because, well, it’s scary just thinking about it. However, it’s necessary that you should discuss these topics with your family as soon as possible to come up with a detailed plan that will benefit everyone involved when a crisis actually takes place.

Over the years, Home Instead Senior Care Outer East has committed to the cause of providing the best caregiving services that help seniors to enjoy a safe & healthy lifestyle for as long as possible. And while we believe that advance care planning is one of the crucial keys for a better senior caregiving process, through our experience with many families, we are well-aware that most families don’t take advanced care planning for seniors seriously enough.

Advance care planning should not be a thing that people afraid to do with their family considering the benefit of it to both yourself & your family. If done right, advance care planning allows you to take great control of your healthcare wishes now & in the future. Your goals, values, and beliefs will be respected by health providers & those closest to you, even when you’re unable to make healthcare decisions for yourself. Your family will not be panicked or feel guilty making a health care decision on your behalf because they know exactly what you would have wanted for yourself.

It might be difficult to think about these kinds of things while you’re well & healthy, but life can change instantly & there’s no guarantee that the medical decisions that people will make for you in your place are what you would like personally. This is why we urge families to communicate with each other and discuss advance care planning as early as possible.

Advance care planning can be done on a simple level through personal documentation and planning with family, or on a more advanced level with legal outcomes. If you are living in the state of Victoria, check out the website for Advance Care Planning Australia for more resources on the topic.

Home Instead Senior Care Outer East also has a vast library of resources that you can use to help improve the advance care planning or caregiving process for seniors. At the moment, our resources include:

• The Home Care Solution: A guide to enable older people to live independently at home
• Dementia: A resource guide for carers & families
• Dying at Home: A guide to support people, families, and carers plan for end of life at home
• When Seniors Say No!: A guide for overcoming resistance to assistance.
• Making Home Safer For Seniors: A guide to living safe and sound at home as you age
• The 40-70 Rule: A guide to conversation starters for families and their senior loved ones
• The 50-50 Rule: Tips for siblings caring for ageing parents

Contact us if you would like a complimentary copy of our Senior Care Resources.  

If you are a senior having problems discussing advance care planning with your children, or you are a concerned child of a senior who refuse to talk about planning ahead for their health care, Relationships Australia’s Elder Relationship Service can help you with this issue. The service is currently run on trial since 1 January 2016 with the aim to give support to families who require help negotiating complex issues related to aging. If you want more information on this service, check out their website.

Thanks for reading through this Blog, I hope you have found it useful. If you require any further assistance please feel free to contact the office.

Kind regards,

Suzanne McLoughlin
Owner of Home Instead Senior Care Outer East

P.S. We provide free Care Consultations and resource guides to support and guide families. Download your free copies from our Aged Care Resources page or Request a Free Information Pack to receive a hard copy.