(C) El Paso Matters.org This story was originally published by El Paso Matters.org and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . 5 tips to prepare for family caregiving in El Paso [1] ['Priscilla Totiyapungprasert', 'More Priscilla Totiyapungprasert', 'El Paso Matters', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width'] Date: 2024-06-27 Dozens of attendees gathered Thursday evening at Texas Tech Health El Paso to hear from experts on caregiving for aging loved ones. The event, hosted by El Paso Matters, followed a two-part story series on how El Paso family caregivers are navigating the reality of aging parents and whether we are prepared to care for our aging population. The panel featured: Yvette Lugo, director for the Rio Grande Area Agency on Aging Dr. Maanit Kohli, director of geriatric medicine at The Hospitals of Providence-Transmountain Campus and assistant professor of Internal Medicine at Paul L. Foster School of Medicine Chris Argote, financial planning advisor and founder of Credible Coverage Silvia Vargas, caregiver for her mother and a client of the Rio Grande Area Agency on Aging Panelists agreed it’s better to start early when preparing for caregiving duties – before a family member is in urgent need of assistance, though they may be resistant to starting plans for their later years of life. “We need to shift our thought process from difficult conversations,” Kohli said. “We need to call them essential conversations.” Argote said he’s 34 years old and already thinking about long-term care planning. Future caregivers might avoid planning with a family member who feels on edge about it because the discussions are uncomfortable. But those hard conversations are probably the best way for people to show they love their family, he said. Here are five questions to consider when preparing for caregiving of aging family: What does your loved one want and need when the time for caregiving comes? People should begin making plans while parents and spouses still have cognitive function. This means deciding in advance things such as where they want to live and who will be in charge of health care decisions, which is different for each person because quality of life is subjective, Lugo said. Yvette Lugo, second from left, director of the Rio Grande Area Agency on Aging, spoke to the audience at the “Quality of Life Care for Your Aging Loved One” on her work on helping families receive temporary respite care and apply for assistance programs, June 26, 2024. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters) Lugo recalled the pushback she received when she asked her grandmother to sign an advance directive, a legal document that allows someone to convey their decisions about end-of-life care ahead of time. “She would say, ‘You just want me to sign this because you want me to die,’” Lugo said. “I said no, I really, really … do want to know what do you want so I can make sure your wishes are done.” Who will be responsible for what area of caregiving? Vargas said her family structure changed after her 89-year-old mother suffered a stroke in November. Her mother was prideful and it was difficult telling people, especially her older siblings, what their mother wanted. The oldest siblings also expected the youngest siblings to “do everything” when it came to daily care, such as bathing. As Vargas divided her time between taking care of her mother and her daughter with cerebral palsy, she eventually had to ask for help. She wished she had better communication with her siblings earlier. People have different ways of loving and caring, and that’s OK, she said. Lugo said burnout and lack of cooperation among family members is typical. “Typically, for us, we see that … the family can be huge, and yet one person is the only one who kind of takes over and steps up and is basically left to pick up the pieces and it can get really difficult,” Lugo said. What is your family member’s financial situation? Oftentimes people are surprised at the cost of care when they’re older, but most of people’s health care costs come after age 65, Argote said. The “Quality of Life Care for Your Aging Loved One” panel, sponsored by Texas Tech Health, Credible Coverage, Comfort Keepers and El Paso Matters, shared experiences and expertise on caring for aging parents, financial planning, medical care, and finding resources for assistance, June 26, 2024. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters) Argote suggested people collect all their needs, such as brands of medications and services they use. Then, they should look at how much those needs cost. This can help families begin budgeting and check what health insurance plans can cover what costs. Medicare’s home health benefits, for example, only covers up to 21 days of daily skilled nursing care by a trained health professional, Argote said. Oftentimes caregivers need help with custodial care – preparing a meal, helping someone bathe – but most insurances in Texas do not cover this. Argote’s company, Credible Coverage, helps clients find the marketplace or Medicare plan that best covers their expenses. The Rio Grande Area Agency for Aging also has caseworkers who help clients apply for Medicaid and Medicare, as well as programs if they don’t qualify for government insurance. When should your family member see a specialist doctor? While 65 is usually the age when people are advised to see a geriatric specialist, Kohli said it can depend on what matters most to the patient. Geriatric patients can take many medications. If a patient feels they are experiencing unwanted side effects, a doctor can determine whether the medication is needed. By the time family members start recognizing cognitive decline, it’s often too late for them to qualify for different medications because they’re meant to be started in mild or early cases, Kohli said. There are also times, however, when depression is misdiagnosed as cognitive decline in age. Whether a patient is turning 65 or 95, mental activity makes the biggest difference between them, Kohli said. “I see some people turning 65 that I don’t think will make it to the next year,” Kohli said. “I look at their habits and they’re just not as active as other people. So, if there’s any take I could give about mental health or depression, it’s, definitely, utilize your health care benefits to maximize all your therapies, your screenings and even diagnosis.” How will you as a caregiver take care of your own health? Vargas fell sick three months into caregiving for her mother. She was barely sleeping. She was losing control of her asthma. She finally told her brother she needed to take a step back. Her older siblings saw their younger siblings were tired and started taking more responsibilities, Vargas said. She also turned to the Rio Grande Area Agency for Aging, which provided her temporary respite care. An attendant would visit her mother for a set number of hours every week, giving Vargas a break so her health could recover. Caregiver support services help caregivers learn how to better care for not only their loved one, but themselves. The goal is for caregivers to avoid burnout and stay in caregiving for the long haul, Lugo said. You can watch the entire discussion here: [END] --- [1] Url: https://elpasomatters.org/2024/06/27/how-to-prepare-for-family-caregiving-aging-el-paso/ Published and (C) by El Paso Matters.org Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-ND 4.0 International. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/elpasomatters/