Planning ahead is an important aspect when it comes to caring for aging loved ones or parents. The more you plan ahead, and do your research the easier the transitions become. Here are some resources that can help you and your loved one plan ahead.
A Living Will
Having a parent who is aging, or in the hospital is stressful enough without having to make difficult decisions quickly about what you perceive their wishes would be. That’s why we always recommend that everyone have an accurate, up-to-date living will far before it gets to that point.
A living will takes pressure off of you and other family members responsible for making these tough calls. There is also an inherent benefit to the senior. Your parents or loved one will always know that their wishes are being carried out the way they want them to when it gets to that point. If your parents don’t have a current living will talk to them today about making one.
Medical Orders for Scope of treatment (MOST) in Colorado
MOST is a tool used for documenting treatment preferences that has proved to be very thorough, flexible and effective. It tells emergency medical personnel or other medical providers the exact wishes of your loved one for end of life health care. The MOST form covers all of the important advance directives topics, including:
- CPR
- Hospital transfers
- Antibiotics
- Artificially administered nutrition and hydration
- Medical Interventions (including DNR)
Download the standardized Colorado MOST form today to talk it over with your parents or loved one.
Education
A big reason that many don’t have advanced directives goes back to education. Many elderly individuals don’t know about them, don’t know how to put one together, or don’t know how important it is to have their wishes documented when the time comes to put them into action.
When it comes to creating a living will, it is, of course, better to have an attorney, like Robert Aghazarian, to draw up the necessary paperwork so that everything runs as smoothly as possible if the time comes to look to the will regarding a patient’s wishes. However, tools like the MOST form make it so easy to go through the checklist of important topics. Your parents sign at the bottom and the form is good to go. A handwritten living will that is simply signed by the patient is better than nothing. It doesn’t have to be on a fancy form, just has to explain their wishes as clearly as possible. Help your parents make their wishes as clear as possible and talk to them about their living will today
