Coming Closer

There is a natural tendency in humans to avoid uncomfortable moments. This can prevent putting strategies in place that make day-to-day operations of a home and family run more smoothly.
Coming closer starts when the members of the home reach a level of acceptance of a diagnosis and any limitations that it may create.
Coming closer affects every area of life together with the goal of maintaining self-worth and independence, while achieving the four cornerstones of the practice at MMC – calm, clean, safe, and loved.

Finances

Determine Financial Power of Attorney and create legal documents.
Inventory and organize all documents related to assets and liabilities, including accounts at financial institutions and insurance brokers.
Discuss long-term care intentions and meet with a financial planner to review options if there are none in place.
Document and securely store bank account numbers, credit card accounts, websites usernames and passwords.
Pay bills and manage finances with someone else so that more than one person can take charge of financial affairs if necessary. This could be a wonderful opportunity to involve other family members, such as a son or daughter.

Health care management

Determine Health Care Power of Attorney and create legal documents.
Attend all medical appointments with another person to help with understanding discussions and directions from the provider.
Keep the Take Charge! binder updated.
Read the website document Medication Safety and follow the guidance provided.

Home management

Use a universal calendar located in a shared area to keep everyone on track with outings and appointments.
Spend time on Sunday evening reviewing activities for the week with discussions about who, what, where, when, and how.
Misplacing objects is a common problem and can lead to unnecessary frustration. Keep a basket by the door for important items like keys, glasses, wallets, purses, etc., and develop the habit of placing items there.
Develop a mantra to use when leaving the home to remember important items (e.g., “Phone, keys, wallet”).
Keep a notebook handy to jot down important information that would be easy to forget, such as planning a lunch out with a friend or a shopping list. Using the notebook can reduce tensions that arise when things are accidentally forgotten.
Break complex tasks into smaller steps and accomplish each one before moving on to the next. Include rest periods between each step.