If you are on the fence about needing help You Can “pick my brain” for 90-minutes with questions.
I’ll give you the resources you need for focus and empowerment to make decisions in the area you are struggling with.
This is not a therapy call, although I do have a unique ability to be direct with compassion. My intention is to give you clarity and confidence, to support you in taking action.
Focus Topics for our 90 minutes can include but are not limited to:
Planning and Coordination
In a health crisis there are many tasks that need to be completed some more urgent than others. Learn what to prioritize and how to delegate in a way that empowers others.
Financial Realities - Can you afford the choices being made and how will it all be paid for? What does insurance cover and when? What are the various methods to use to plan ahead for care costs.
Care Options - Clearly identify when new life events dictate a need for caregivers in some capacity. Understand the various types of care options and their associated costs. Match these choices to your likely progression of care needs over time and your ability to pay.
Legal and Vital Documents - what they are, their purpose and why you absolutely need to prepare them now so they are available when decisions need to get made.
Health Care Power Of Attorney (HCPOA): Becoming The Advocate - raise your awareness so you are an effective advocate for yourself or a loved one including understanding medical conditions and their progression in the elderly, understand the HCPOA responsibilities and the dilemmas this can create, creating the best possible new normal for the time remaining and gathering others in to participate with joy.
Understanding Elders - You’ll learn to understand and avoid common misperceptions about our elderly. We will discuss: health and behavioral warning signs to watch for, how to deal with your own fears and denial, as well as those of your loved ones. You will learn methods to transition gracefully into a shared decision making process with our loved ones.
Communication catalysts:
learn when to have conversions and who to have them with including:
Elders - Have those breakthrough important conversations that give all involved clarity, calm and a solid foundation from which to make a plan. Understand the best methods to use to communicate successfully with the elderly.
Siblings - How to leave childhood behavior patterns behind so you can work together to leverage your individual strengths.
Family & friends - How to inform and involve extended family members and friends using the most effective and efficient communication tools available. Understand the family dynamics and emotional entanglements that create denial and inaction.
Medical community - Learn how to effectively prepare and communicate efficiently with medical staff including doctors, nurses, aids, and administration to insure receiving the best medical care possible.
Living institutions - Understand living institutions, their requirements and the very specific language they use. Know the basic institutional vocabulary so you understand what is being communicated to you and so you can effectively communicate your needs & expectations in terms the institution can accommodate.
Caregivers - Go beyond the basics and learn how to build a trusted relationship with caregivers so they deliver consistent quality care and keep you well informed.
Crisis Management
If you have or a loved one has suddenly experienced a major life changing event such as a fall or new medical diagnosis then dealing with all the new information and your related emotions at the same time can be overwhelming and confusing. I will work with you to make sense of it all and put together the needed action plan that embraces your wishes, to fully support you during this difficult transition.
Emergency Responsibilities - Identify and outline the regular home and financial responsibilities and have a plan to insure they are taken care of in a medical or other emergency.
Suicide. Suicide is one of the most devastating experiences imaginable with lasting consequences for everyone involved. Informed by my own experience of the suicide of my eldest brother. I will work with you to process the overwhelming pain and confusion, deal head on with conflicting emotions and ideally find peace and perspective regarding this traumatic event.
Dementia - We will clear up the vast confusion regarding the various types of dementia and deal directly with your understandable fears about it. You will learn to how to recognize the difference between dementia and age related memory lapses. Learn to recognize the warning signs of actual dementia, and how to map out possible progression, treatment, and care options. Learn the confusing complexity of the medical community perspective regarding dementia. All with the goal of empowering you deal with dementia in a straightforward and competent manner using the very best resources available.