How to Plan for the Future
Many of us find it difficult to look down the road to when we may require help to live as independently as possible. The longer we delay developing a plan the less likely we will achieve best possible plan. Long term care is a reality in everyone’s life as we age. It means we need to have help on a daily basis, but often where that help comes from, who pays for it and who arranges it is taken for granted.
Today’s long term care services are provided in the public sector across the country. These services tend to be universal in nature, based on needs and provided at a level to ensure adequate and minimal safety and care. Individual Choice, enhancement or maintenance of lifestyle are excluded from the public service. The private sector is increasing its capacity to offer services that help enhance or maintain lifestyles but this comes at a cost. The opportunity to age in place where services are built up around the person to ensure their needs are met, rather than continuing to move the person to new environments to meet their needs may become more limited unless we plan for the future now. In developing our plan we need to take the following questions into consideration:
- What services do you anticipate needing?
- What role do you want family/significant others to play?
- What choices can you make?
- Do you know what is available or where to go for help?
- How will your plan be funded?
- How will you guarantee your wishes are honored?
This article was contributed by Lynne Fineman MSW, Principle of Solutions for Successful Aging based in Winnipeg Manitoba. Ms Fineman can be reached by email at successfulaging@shaw.ca
Thanks for the good information.