Four Tips To Caring For Ageing Parents From Afar

4 Minute Read

Tags: Aged Care


Remove the stress arising from living overseas by planning in advance; and if your parents are over 65 years of age, it's time to start planning now!

Four Tips To Caring For Ageing Parents From Afar
© Danielle Robertson Consulting Pty Ltd t/as DR Care Solutions


While 65 is ‘young’ these days, a series of sudden unfortunate events, say commencing with a parent’s fall, can see you weighing up whether to jump on a plane. It needn’t be this way.

 

Four tips to planning

(1)

Start speaking with your parents about what support they may need to remain in their own home.


Understand their wants and wishes. Avoid a disgruntled response by using the word “support” rather than “care” and by having this conversation face to face.


If they are starting to experience difficulties performing day-to-day tasks, organise an aged care assessment. Do this now as the wait time for assessments is around six weeks and receipt of government subsidies for in-home care assistance can take up to two years
Many home care providers now offer minimum in-home care shifts of four hours to make their business models work. For clients requiring simple daily medication monitoring and meal preparation, four hours of care is not required and just too expensive.

 

(2)

Understand your parents' financial position.


Have to hand the figures and relevant “income and assets” documents. You’ll need these to complete the government-subsidy paperwork. Also, encourage your parents to see a reputable financial planner to obtain advice on how their potential future care needs will be met. With the Australian average age of death increasing year on year (in 2020: 83.2 years), plan for the various scenarios.

 

(3)

Be in a position where you can make decisions on behalf of your parents should they lose capacity.


You need to be in the position where you can make decisions on behalf of your parents should they lose capacity. Under Australian law, you can only make financial, care support and health decisions on their behalf if you have been appointed Enduring Power of Attorney, Enduring Guardian, and have an Advanced Health Care Directive (note: different terminologies are used in the various States/Territories). If your parents have not already organised these documents, encourage them to visit their family lawyer to draw them up.

 

(4)

Arrange on-the-ground support.


Having on the ground support at all times will provide peace of mind. So consider introducing a care consultant, like myself, to your parents early on, to prepare for the day you may need assistance urgently.

 

For other recent related articles on caring for ageing parents while living abroad, visit:

 

Article originally published on the Porch website in January 2023 [Home Care: How to Get Ready, Tips from the Experts]. The Seattle-based, NASDAQ-listed company, Porch, provides software solutions for home buying, moving and maintenance.

 


 

Please feel free to call me, Danielle Robertson, for an initial discussion on how to set up the right care, support and assistance at the right time and in the right place.
- Contact Danielle - For An Impartial & Confidential Conversation

 


 

 

Danielle Robertson

Danielle Robertson

Working with you and your support network to get the right care outcomes for you and your loved ones. Danielle Robertson is founder and CEO of DR Care Solutions, offering aged care and disability care concierge services and expertise on how to set up the right care, support and assistance for your loved one, at the right time and in the right place. Danielle's experience in the Australian care sector spans over three and a half decades. Now that's a lot of experience, wisdom and networks!