Home management strategies for family caregivers

Each November is National Caregiver Month and this year the Aging Matters column is beginning the month a few weeks early, devoting the column to resources and tools that support family caregivers in both October and November.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, one in five adults in Hawaii regularly provides caregiving services to a family or friend with health challenges. Of those who are not caregivers, one in seven expect they will become caregivers within the next two years. The two most common types of assistance are managing household tasks and providing personal care.

Whether you are a caregiver now or expect to be one in the future, consider the following strategies to streamline household and financial tasks for yourself and your loved ones.

Gather the family. As a family and with the person needing caregiver assistance, discuss the type of assistance required now or in the future and identify those individuals who can help. Consider addressing the following questions:

≤ What daily living, financial and medical assistance is needed now or will be necessary in the future?

≤ What family members and friends can provide assistance?

≤ What organizations can provide assistance?

≤ How will the family communicate about changing health or caregiving needs or important decisions that must be made?

Organize and simplify finances. Those family members tasked with financial responsibilities may consider the following steps to streamline household finances:

≤ Determine monthly or quarterly income and expenses.

≤ Utilize automatic payment options for regularly occurring bills.

≤ Locate and organize legal and financial documents.

≤ Create a list of professionals who are assisting with legal and financial affairs.

Organize medical information. For those tasked with supporting a loved one’s physical, emotional or mental health needs, consider the following steps:

≤ Locate and update medical histories, including current medications, vaccination history, medical equipment and supply needs, and advance health care directives.

≤ Create and share a medical calendar with all family and friends who assist with medical care.

≤ Create a list of medical professionals who are helping with health and medical needs.

Protect against identity theft and fraud. Older or frail adults, particularly those who live alone, are at an increased risk of becoming victims of fraud. The following steps will decrease that risk and increase the comfort and safety of all family members:

≤ Simplify wallets by including only information and cards that are used regularly. For example, move identification documents such as Social Security cards to a safe and secure location.

≤ Sort and shred mail together.

≤ Reduce junk mail by registering on the Direct Marketing Association’s consumer website at www.dmachoice.org. The $2 processing fee covers the registration for 10 years.

≤ Reduce telemarketing calls by registering with the Federal Trade Commission’s National Do Not Call Registry at www.donotcall.gov.

≤ Utilize the Annual Credit Report website to request free credit reports each year and verify all accounts at www. annualcreditreport.com/ index.action.

This article is based on “Home Management Tips for Caregivers,” a University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension brochure. To access the brochure visit go.hawaii.edu/ HQ2. To learn more about protecting yourself and loved ones, spend some time visiting the Federal Trade Commission website at www.ftc.gov.

Heather Greenwood is with the University of Hawaii Manoa Cooperative Extension, Maui Intergenerational and Aging Programs. Aging Matters covers topics of interest to the aging Maui community and appears on the third Saturday of each month.