Your Dad fell (again)- and this time, he broke a hip.

Your stress level goes way up.

It’s really tough to make wise decisions when you are in this state.

So how can we not be this freaked out and frantic person?

We can be proactive, instead of reactive. We can have a plan, complete with all the necessary information we will need when that day arrives.

Ready to get a handle on what you need to do to prepare? When you’re well prepared, caring for your loved one goes much more smoothly.

Step One: Get your hands on a three-ring binder. Make sure it has:

• pockets for pamphlets
• paper for taking notes
• a zippered pouch to collect business cards and other small stuff along the way.

Step Two: Give them some hints that you are wanting to have a talk with them. Your loved one may not have fully thought through these issues. After all, it’s way easier to believe we will never get old and will never need help.

I have found that giving people some time to think about it, makes ‘The Talk’ itself go way better.

Here are some questions to get your loved one thinking.

Send them in an email or print them out and ask your loved one what they think of them (feel free to tell them a nurse friend (that’s me) gave you these interesting Questions and you are curious about what they think of them).

• If you could choose, where would you like to live out the rest of your days? (for example: in your home, in a group setting like a senior community, with family, etc.)
• What are your top 3 priorities for the next years of your life? (ie spend as much time as possible with family/friends, keep doing the hobbies that interest me, etc.)
• What most concerns you?

Allow your loved one some time to think these questions through (several days to a week) and encourage them to jot some notes under each as they think about them.