Practical Caregiver Tools
Resources
Click on the icon for a brief explanation of the resource. The links below the icon will take you to the resource.
Be sure to also check supplements and over-the-counter (OTC) medications.
Planning a Memorial Service
Book (325 pages). Use the table of contents to read based upon your needs at the time.
Key Action Items:
- Obtain Durable Power of Attorney (POA)
- Obtain Healthcare Directive (different titles depending upon your state)
- Acquire a ID bracelet noting your loved one’s name on the outside and “dementia” or “memory impaired” and your phone # on the inside.
This is a useful website to set up a single source to share information about your loved one’s status.
It can be designed as invitation only, so you control who sees the information, and it helps avoid “platform issues,” where some people, for example, are on Facebook and others are not.
The downside is this is a non-profit organization who frequently solicits donations.
No one likes to think about the end of life.
One of the best gifts you can give yourself as a caregiver is to have a prepaid cremation or burial planned for your aging parent.
When the inevitable happens, you only have to make one phone call and everything is taken care of according to your parent’s wishes.
This form is provided by WA State. If you are seriously ill or in very poor health, a physician, physician assistant, or advance registered nurse practitioner can use the Portable Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) to represent your wishes for future care as clear and specific medical orders, indicating what types of life-sustaining treatment you want or do not want in the case of a medical emergency. Ask if there is something similar provided by your state.