By Brian LeBlanc I was upset. So was Maureen. I suspect a number of our care partners were, too. But the conversation needed to be had. We needed to update our life-care plan – to have the tough talk some of us desperately needed. The tough talk I desperately needed. Maureen, my life partner/care partner, […]
By Maureen Rulison We’ve said for a long time now that a well-made life-care plan should be flexible. It should account for the expected – and unexpected – that comes with aging in good health and bad. It should factor the care recipient’s needs. Just as importantly, it should factor the needs of any and […]
By Maureen Rulison It’s early morning. I’m up and moving quickly. Brian is still asleep. “Good,” I say quietly. “He had a rough one yesterday.” And I then remember he’s been in a brain fog for the better part of four days. That’s happening more often. At least it’s beautiful outside. He can sit out, […]
This may just be one of my favorite parts of the life-care planning process: building the care-partner team. You naturally have tons of questions as you and/or a loved one make important preparations. Yes, they’re all equally important! But selecting the care partners that’ll be there for support in good times and bad is the […]
It really grinds Brian’s gears. I’m not kidding. Being labeled an Alzheimer’s “sufferer,” or “disabled,” or even somebody’s “patient” makes my life partner/care partner so angry. It’s easy to understand why. We prefer person-centered care and language because anything else automatically places the individual at a disadvantage. A disadvantage? How? Let’s say your mother lives […]
Planning dominates our lives. That’s a good thing. We plan our careers and retirement. We plan our kids’ upbringing and education. We plan our weekly grocery list. We plan the family trip to Disney World. But, regrettably, most people think about building a great life-care plan too late or not at all. So what’s a […]
Last week we discussed fire-drilling your life-care plan. For myself and my care partner, Brian, a nightmarish “perfect storm” had thrown our professionally designed plan (built by me) into disarray. It called a number of factors into question and shed light on one key reality: a life-care plan must be flexible. Not that ours wasn’t. […]
I’m a professional life-care planner. I’ve been helping people and their loved ones plan for advancing age and terminal illnesses for decades. It’s critical to be prepared. Just a few short weeks ago, our own plan fell apart. It certainly wasn’t for a lack of trying or expertise. By all accounts, the life-care plan Brian […]
As your loved one ages or progresses through a terminal illness, the number of professionals and agencies involved in their care will only increase. Patient advocacy is your one-stop shop for EVERYTHING your loved one and their care partners will need. You’ll have doctor appointments — sometimes many of them spanning a range of health […]
Mom and Dad still live in their home. They’re advancing in age, to put it lightly, but luckily they’ve been otherwise healthy … until recently. Your mother’s health has taken a turn for the worse in the last year, and it’s clear the care required will soon be beyond the family’s capacity. Medicaid eligibility will […]
