Owning Your Own Future

When it comes to caregiving, what you don't know can hurt you.

Quality Health News

None of us relishes the fact that our parents are getting older, their health conditions are getting more serious, and their needs are escalating. So many of us choose not to think about a time when they might need long-term care services, much less begin to plan for it. And, in a perfect world, we would never have to.

Unfortunately, our world is not perfect, and reality has a way of sneaking up on us when we least expect it. All it takes is one acute medical emergency for Mom or Dad, and we're plunged into an abyss of long-term care decision-making, with absolutely no oxygen mask dropping down from an overhead compartment to help us breathe and think rationally in the midst of this overwhelming family crisis.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recognizing that what you don't know can hurt you, has created the free, downloadable Own Your Own Future Planning Kit, aimed at the following:

Reduce emotional stress by understanding service options and qualifying criteria for specific services in advance of a crisis.
Reduce the financial burdens of long term care by knowing what public and private payment options are available to your family.
Increase your control over where and how your parents receive services.

Take a few minutes to visit The National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information because the future is closer than you think!