“One person caring about another represents life’s greatest value.”
Jim Rohn

Caregiving is a very big and overwhelming responsibility requiring an amazing amount of organization. Regardless of the illness, it becomes necessary to know who to contact for what, how to manage the medications, and how to proceed with advanced directives. Hopefully, these tips will help in moving forward!

  • Advance Directives – Make sure the person you are caring for has a health care proxy. If you’re in the position of being a caregiver, now is the time to make sure the paperwork is completed so you can easily make medical decisions if needed for your loved one. The health care proxy will allow the patient to choose a primary and substitute person to make medical decisions if the patient is unable to make them himself. The person you are caring for can also complete a living will which will outline more clearly exactly which interventions they would want. Depending on the state you live in this may need to be completed by an attorney. Either way, make sure you have this difficult conversation.
  • Power of Attorney – A Power of Attorney (POA) is a document that allows you to appoint a person or organization to handle your affairs when you are unable to do so. A general POA allows the person you choose, or your agent, the ability to act on your behalf in a variety of situations if you are unable to yourself. A general POA will allow your agent to handle banking transactions, file tax returns or handle federal benefits. A caregiver should be able to know how and what bills to pay when the patient is sick.
  • Know who to contact if there is a problem! It’s important for caregivers to have a list of your loved one’s healthcare providers and their role so you know who to call for what.
  • Medication List –The medication list should include names of medications, dosages, indications for medication and name of prescriber. The patient should always carry it with them and the caregiver should have at the minimum access to it.
  • Insurance – Insurance can be very difficult to manage when you’re sick. Sometimes individuals may need help to navigate insurance ins and outs. It’s often helpful to organize all of the communications from the insurance carrier into a binder. Caregivers often need to assist those they love with managing insurance premiums, out-of-pocket costs and where and what to pay in the event a patient is responsible for COBRA payments. Don’t forget to open the mail! Sometimes mail piles up and it has important medical or insurance information in it that can have negative consequences if ignored.
  • Back-up plan – While you may have the best intentions to be your loved one’s caregiver, unfortunately, life sometimes has other plans. In the event, you are sick or unable to care for your loved one for any reason, do you have a back-up person or team who can step in?

As you know already, caregiving can be exhausting, emotionally and physically, so one of the most important things for you to do is to also take care of yourself.

This is often the most forgotten role in caregiving. While it often seems difficult to do so, remember to take time for yourself. I know – everyone asks but when?! Try to remain engaged in life and the things you love even if it isn’t for the same amount of time you used to be able to participate in before.

Caregivers often find it helpful to see a therapist for additional support and to brainstorm ways to manage their caregiving needs and role changes in the family. You need to take care of yourselves in order to take care of those you love.

Old Greenwich Therapist, Aimee Muth, LCSW