Helping Older Relatives with Medical Care & Finances

November is National Family Caregiver Month. In recognition of this, the EAP is offering a series of posts about eldercare resources and options for help.  This week, we discuss steps you can take to help relatives manage their affair if they unable to do this themselves.

As people age, there are many areas in which they might need assistance. Some of the most common areas that come up are financial and medical – topics that are not always easy to discuss. These conversations can be awkward or seem invasive. Not having a plan will make it more difficult to assist your older relatives and fulfill their wishes for how they want things handled.

The goal is not to take over the decision-making process but to stand in only when necessary to make the same choices  your relatives would make if they could. The best way to do this is to be able to have an understanding of their wishes, and to communicate with and receive important information from financial and medical providers. Encourage your relatives to choose agents who will have the knowledge and willingness to assist when needed. This must be done while they are on a position to make these appointments.

Below, we highlight some of the main processes and forms to ensure that you can be the best advocate possible. For a full discussion of estate planning, please refer to our feature on this topic.

Healthcare

Encourage relatives to not only choose agents but also to consider and communicate about what their wishes are related to their care and well-being needs. For example, what kind of decisions would they make if they had a catastrophic or chronic illness. Otherwise:

• A Health care proxy is a simple legal document that enables a patient to appoint someone to make healthcare decisions if the patient is unable to do so. It is triggered when someone becomes incapacitated. You should choose one agent and at least one back-up agent. It’s a good idea to give a copy of the most current health care proxy to all agents and providers/healthcare systems. The most current one trumps all others

• A HIPAA Release is a written form that authorizes your medical providers to share protected medical information with people identified by you

• An Advanced Directive is a personal document, not legally binding in Massachusetts, in which you give your health care agent, family, and care providers information about what’s important to you and instructions about the kind of care you want and do not want

• Molst Form, Massachusetts Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST), is a medical order form (like a prescription) that relays instructions between health professionals about a patient’s care. MOLST is based on an individual’s right to accept or refuse medical treatment. In Massachusetts, patients with a serious advanced illness at any age, may discuss filling out a MOLST form with their clinician. The patient’s decision to use the MOLST form must be voluntary

• Organ donation – You may want to make your choices known concerning organ donation

Financial

• Make an accounting of all assets and accounts and how to access them

• Speak with your relative about their priorities and desires around finances

• Have your relative establish a durable power of attorney allows you to identify and give formal powers to someone to manage finances, related to real estate, bank accounts, bills, life insurance, and other assets that are in your own name. A power of attorney is designed to be used if you are incapacitated and is generally triggered automatically

• Be mindful of fraud, as there are risks from elders themselves getting scammed or sadly caregivers and even family members who may take advantage of them

Previous Family Caregivers Month EAP Features

• Caring for the Family Caregiver: Recognizing & Addressing Caregiver Stress
• Preventing Outpatient Falls in the Elderly
• Helping Families Navigate Elder Transitions

Help from the EAP

The EAP is here to help all employees and immediate family household members with eldercare needs. The Program offers free and confidential services for employees and immediate household family members. EAP records are separate from medical and HR records. Contact the EAP at 866-724-4327 or request an appointment via our online form for confidential assistance. In-person appointments are available at the following locations. Phone or Video (Zoom) appointments are available from all locations.