If you are going to build or assemble something, you need tools. There are specific tools for specific jobs, and people who know what they are doing know which tools to use at what time. 

When I am personally confronted with building or fixing something, I need very specific instructions that show me what tools I need and when to use them—with step-by-step pictures.

Sure, there are people who can put things together without instructions—but not many of us can pull that off. Senior care planning is similar. We can assemble a plan without knowing what the right tools are, but we will save a lot of time and frustration if we have some actual instructions.

If you have ever been to Home Depot or Lowes, you know how overwhelming it can be to find what you need if you don’t know exactly what you are looking for. It’s not that there is not enough there; it’s that there is just way too much. All the tools in stores like that are important for some reason but what belongs in your toolbox? You don’t need all the tools.

There are so many services and resources available for assistance with senior care planning, but which ones might you and your family need? Considerations for what tools you may need for this job include legal, medical, financial, physical and emotional. 

To be able to build an effective estate plan, you should have in your toolbox an elder law attorney. An elder law attorney is different from an estate planning attorney. Estate planning is important because it addresses concerns with things like distribution of assets after you pass away. Many elder law attorneys do offer estate planning, but they also concentrate on legal issues related to aging adults, such as caregiving costs, retirement, disability, guardianship, and long-term care. Their expertise includes things such as the preservation of assets, Medicaid compliance, Social Security benefits, long-term care insurance, retirement plans, as well as guardianship and conservatorship.

A good elder law attorney will assess your legal and financial situation, both present and future. They will ensure the proper documentation of advance directives such as Power of Attorney, Healthcare Proxy and Living Will, etc. You can learn more about elder law attorneys and find one in your area by visiting the website for the National Academy of Elder law Attorneys (NAELA) https://www.naela.org/Default.aspx. 

For people who are considering a move, there are many resources but two of the most useful tools include Seniors Real Estate Specialists (https://www.nar.realtor/education/designations-and-certifications/seniors-real-estate-specialist-sres) and Senior Move Managers (https://www.nasmm.org/).

A Seniors Real Estate Specialists (SRES) designation is for Realtors who specialize in meeting the needs of older adults when they need to sell or refinance their home. A Senior Move Manager can help with downsizing, decluttering, packing, unpacking, staging, and coordinating logistics. Even if the plan is to age-in-place at home, almost everyone I know would still benefit from some help decluttering.

Have an in-home safety evaluation. Many contractors as well as visiting nurses or age-in-place specialists can come into your home and assess what may be needed to make your home better set up for successfully staying there. Things like grab bars, stair lifts, removing scatter rugs, changing doorknobs to handles, widening doorways, and converting tubs to showers as so important. 

Communicate with your loved ones about what you want as you get older if you need decisions made for you. There are many tools that are designed in different ways to do this. POLST, The Conversation project, Coda Alliance, and the Five Wishes, are just a few. For example, what would you want to have happen if your heart stops and you need resuscitation? Or, if you would want things like feeding tubes?

Communicating this type of information can include specifics on how you want to be cared for at the end of life as well as your preferences for what you want at your funeral. This is a gift you can leave in the toolbox for your family to use, an instruction manual if you will.

There are many more resources you can put into your toolbox for creating a plan for yourself but this is a good start. If you do find yourself in a situation where you don’t have the tools you need or how to use them, there are supports like Aging Life Care Professionals. According to the Aging Life Care Association website, https://www.aginglifecare.org/ they are health and human services specialists who act as guides and advocates for families. Their expertise can include but is not limited to counseling, mental health, nursing, occupational therapy, or social work. These are professionals who are members of the Aging Life Care Association® (ALCA) but there are also more nuanced consultants and coaches like 2Sisters Senior Living Advisors (www.2Sisters-sla.com) or patient advocates.

As far as tools are concerned, I only have a hammer and a screwdriver in my box along with some duct tape and a few random nails. But, having even a just few tools in my box is better than none – after all, duct tape can useful in so many ways. 

Michelle Woodbrey is the co-founder of 2Sisters Senior Living Advisors and a contributing expert for ECDOL. She has been working in the field of senior living for over 20 years.