You may choose to become a caregiver, or the role and tasks may fall into your lap. Caregiving can be divided into two responsibilities: making decisions, and carrying out tasks. Sometimes, making decisions is harder than doing the caregiving tasks which may follow those decisions. This guide is intended to prepare you for some of the decisions you may have to make if you become the caregiver to aging parents or others. Are you ready, willing and able to make these decisions? Consider the following:
- Who else will need to be involved in making decisions?
- What information, authority or other factors will I need to take into account when making decisions?
- What process will I use in making the decisions?
- How will Mum or Dad (or the person in care) feel about my making these decisions?
- What resources can I call upon (family, professionals, etc.) to help me make these decisions?
Here is a list of questions that might help to identify some of the typical decisions that caregivers make on behalf of the person in their care:
Click here to download an Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the this caregiver decision list.
Many of the decisions that result from these questions are difficult. Answering them can bring on feelings of guilt, sadness, and confusion and require information about aging and decline.
Diamond Geriatrics has the information and experience you may need to help you with these questions and the caregiving tasks which result from them. Call us for more information at 604-874-7764
See Diamond Geriatrics’ “How Prepared Are You to be a Caregiver” and Diamond Geriatrics’ “Caregiver Tasks List.”
Click here to download an Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the this caregiver decision list.
