How Are Things Working Out For You This December To Remember, 2020?

What a treat just to stop and ask a farily normal 'checking in question' not only for me to ask you but also to remember to ask myself from a more objective, friendly stance. I've been "On The Run" (a lil' shout out of thanks and appreciation to the great coffee and sandwich shop in Lakeville CT right next to the magical Mizza's Pizza place and other lovely venues I'll have to list more about in another post soon.)

I happen not to be as busy as most people holding down a regular job from 9-5 or students going to school 8-3 or others with set shifts for months and years on end. I have a far more flexible schedule right now and feel more people should be granted support to explore life around the edges (work some 'retirement and exploring energy' into one's overall life journey periodically or longer.)

I recall the story of the fellow wanting to start Habitat for Humanity (if memory serves) getting up in the middle of the night and making some major transaction to avoid 'coming to his senses in the morning and not going through with it." Hopefully plenty of people would be available if someone would want to do something Big or calling for any major investment of time, effort or commitment (yes, even social, romantic, caregiving or other kinds of important personal or social energy.) What can money buy? How about credit or barters?

What needs to be legally approved of due to a country's, state or other agency or system's requirements?

Just like the 'buyer beware' terms at tag sales and much of life, it's important to do one's due diligence in terms of 'finding out what a system allows and requires, what needs to be addressed before any actions are taken or papers are signed, and what kind of documentation, receipts, oversight, insurance (workman's compensation or independent liability insurance etc) are needed.' Wanting to know what one does not readily understand or know they need to know is important also for all people in a 'team caregiving situation' on all levels, from legal to social, medical, economic, and practical and personal needs, requests and routines for all people in a home or situation as well as pets and people coming and going. Having basic homecare services to keep electric, fuel and internet/ TV/ cell phone service (or Roku or other ways of having cable through the internet) and some back up people ands services should the power go out, the heat not work (back up electric heaters, propane  insert heaters as is legal and safe, or wood stoves properly installed and up to code) as well as warm blankets and clothing and other supplies of fresh water, food and basics are all important to review regularly and have a safety plan for people regarding any kind of short-term or longer evacuation or relocation due to weather, crime or other concerns (fires or trees down etc.)

Taking the guess work out of a lot of these kinds of 'what if' situations could be turned into a board game (or computer game.) Everyone could learn basic home health aide, CNA (certified nursing assistant), social work and at least legal terms and laws which vary not only among countries but among states as well. What services are available can vary in cost, coverage and delivery as well. Learning about Medicare programs for instance and signing up before one turns 65 to get the most affordable rate or risk getting a higher premium which will not go down necessarily is important to do well before that age, maybe more like at age 55 or 58.

Some life plans and managing assets before age 60 would likely be practical to consider in light of what medicare covers and what medicaid needs and costs might entail after age 65 due to life or medical events. I am not giving advice here other than to encourage people to get educated and learn from legitimate governmental agencies and programs as well as real people in one's area who have used services to get a feedback.

Often checking with three resources can give one a better idea of what is a reasonable path and not everyone covers all the options, so it may take months and years to get a handle on many important matters. The idea of a team of family and friends working openly and with transparency is important to avoid people being accused of 'working on their own agenda or taking advantage of people in need or mishandling private information or resources.'

There should be a way for anyone to have a team of advocates who can be volunteers or paid by on a federal, state or local level to help educate and support a person with basic needs, much like 211.org but with more practical follow-up help. Perhaps people could pay for help in advance of needing it and have a certain amount of funds and such set aside to be used appropriately with accountability measures in place, again to help one or more people in a household who may have a medical or other need arise but who cannot advocate for themselves.

Thanks for doing what everyone is doing to the best of their ability and particularly for doing so with some support and help to not burn out or take on too much even for a few days or week. Losing sleep, being stressed and emotionally concerned for others.

If someone passes from an illness, accident or more sudden medical or other condition, there could be special people 'at the ready' to help each person involved cope and have their basic affairs addressed in terms of having a healthcare representative, a healthcare directive and a living will and power of attorney to handle financial affairs.

There is a short form and a long form of power of attorney so it si important to learn about those and helpful to consult with an attorney since they are important documents. See more about many of those topics and terms for instance about Legal Caregiver Agreements, and other parameters of who can serve in which role without a conflict of interest or violating state or federal guidelines. Often one can have an alternative or a two people working together in a role. 

Keeping a lot of the basic information in a secure, private notebook can be helpful for filling out forms and tracking one's life on paper and for future plans. Information in The Five Wishes can be helpfulto review over the years. There are many programs online as well such as Doulagivers.com which is about End of Life Doulas (EOLDs) (helpers, support people doing non-medical and non-legal support for one or more people in a household.)

More hospice programs are working in conjunction with EOLDs to better serve families and other team members in a caring situation. They can assist with a variety of needs that may arise, customized for each person's need on a case by case basis. As more people learn about the arc of care and services, resources and ways to form support teams even for short-term or transitional needs (with each month or half a year being important to consider to give a person time to adjust and try out having help, living in a new part of their home or in someone else's nearby or with better services, having time and support from a state or other agency or resource to address needs and possibly apply for medicaid even if deciding later not to enroll for instance)  then the FOG (fear, obligation and guilt) can clear away and the learning and helping can proceed in a more constructive way. Thanks to all for trying and being ready to step into helpful roles on many levels. See other posts on this blog for more help and inspiration along the road of life...and may it be a safe, healthy and caring journey for one and all...