Almost everyone shudders when they hear the words “assist with finances.” No one wants to step on anyone’s toes, but when your loved ones become older and needs help with the daily tasks of paying bills on time, it is time to step in. Rather than making it a stressful situation, there are a few steps you can take to make elderly home care including financial help comfortable for everyone involved.
Preventing Disaster
If you are a proactive type of person, discuss the need to help your elderly loved one with finances before the need for care at home arises. This makes the conversation less stressful and more productive. Talk about the “ifs” and “whens” rather than the here and now. When everyone is in the right frame of mind, a plan can be devised including occurrences when you should step in and how you will go about handling the finances.
Only Provide Necessary Help
There is no need to rush in and take over all aspects of a person’s finances if it is not needed. Take time to assess the situation with your family. Are your loved one’s bills being paid late or is she simply not capable of making large investment decisions? The level of dementia and disability plays a vital role in the ability to handle finances. Rather than taking over everything at once, take things one step at a time to make everyone feel comfortable in the level of elderly home care and financial assistance that you provide.
