Regardless of whether you’re a Christmas fan or not, this season is one when we typically see more of our families. Each year I recommend my clients (and my family!) use the December/January period to check-in with their ageing loved ones and ‘take stock’ of how they’re going.
For many, they might have the same aches and pains as the year before and maybe a little slower. For others, there might be quite a considerable decline and it could prompt the family into action. Either way, it can be helpful to know what to look out for and what to do if you’re concerned they need help.
For this reason, the theme I’ve chosen for December is
Festive Season Checklist.
WHAT IS A FESTIVE SEASON CHECKLIST?
I’ll be honest… it’s a term and checklist I made up. However, it does give you a quick guide and framework for analysing how your loved one is doing and how this might compare to the year prior.
It’s really important to use this tool alongside your knowledge of the individual. What I mean by that is, if your loved one has always had a cluttered home and loves collecting things. Then you wouldn’t necessarily score them ‘full support’ needed for housework, as that’s how they’ve always kept their home even when they were able bodied.
HOW DO I COMPLETE THE CHECKLIST?
There are a few different approaches, depending on how open your loved one is to discussing their health.
First option is to do the checklist together. It is designed to be used as a tool to help guide conversations about ageing. You can sit down together with a cup of tea and have a gentle, open, non-judgemental discussion about how they’re doing. It’s important to really listen and try not to impose your views on how you think they are. If you feel they lack insight into their needs, you can add some notes of your own afterwards.
Second option, if your loved one isn’t open to discussions about their health or isn’t cognitively able to participate, you can independently complete the checklist over a period of days or weeks. I find this is best done gradually as you observe and understand more about their situation.
Once you’ve completed the checklist and made note of what supports they require and how they’re currently managing, see if there are any major gaps.
If they’re generally managing well, then tuck this little checklist away until next year when you can complete it again and see how things may have changed.
HELP - THEY NEED A LOT OF SUPPORT AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT!
I work with families every day who need help for their loved ones. Navigating the aged care sector can be incredibly overwhelming, so having a professional to guide you through this can relieve a lot of stress.
Please please please, feel free to give me a call if you’d like some guidance. I’m always happy to provide independent advice and help point people in the right direction. This is not always a paid service. If I can provide you with a few pointers on the phone to keep you moving along, that’s amazing! If your situation is a little more complex and you need me more heavily involved, then I would love to meet with you and your family to assist.
As a general guide, these are the high level steps I assist families with:
Call My Aged Care to request assessment for aged care services
If already accessing some services, but need more - then contact My Aged Care and request ‘re-assessment’. My Aged Care will want to know what has changed since the last assessment.
If in receipt of a Home Care Package, contact your provider to discuss new care needs and potential additional services.
Seek emergency respite if needed - if in SA, you can contact Carers SA for urgent assistance.
As always, if you have any questions please get in touch.
As a lot of you know, I host and produce a podcast called ‘The Truth About Ageing’. I release episodes sporadically and you can also access the full back-catalogue of episodes through your favourite podcast app (Apple Podcasts, Spotify) or at www.navigateagedcare.com.au/podcast.
Occasionally I also post updates on socials, which you can find at:
Facebook - @navigateagedcareau
Instagram - @thetruthaboutageing
Thank you again for being part of the Navigate gang. Please feel free to pass this email on to a friend of family member - the more the merrier!
I really hope you all have a beautiful festive season.
Big love,
Kate.
If you’d like to chat about your unique situation and gain a better understanding of options available to you, please book a free 15 minute consult via the ‘Book Now’ button below.
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