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	Caring For Elderly Parents
	By Ramona Creel

Feel free to use this tip sheet / checklist as you tackle your own ""do-it-yourself"" organizing projects. If you would like to REPRINT or DISTRIBUTE this information, please click here for reprinting instructions.

ASSESSING THEIR NEEDS

• Does your parent need help with grooming, bathing, or dressing?
• Does your parent need help with housekeeping, shopping, or yard work?
• Does your friend need help planning or preparing meals?
• Is your parent unable to drive or get around on public transportation alone?
• Does your parent need help managing finances and paying bills?
• Does your parent need help making legal and other important decisions?
• Does your parent have trouble functioning at home? Would modifications help?
• Does your parent have trouble with hearing, vision, or memory?

GET PERMISSION

• financial power of attorney to make financial decisions and pay bills
• living will to make life-support decisions
• medical power of attorney to make health care decisions
• durable power of attorney to make legal decisions
• access to safe deposit box
• may choose to be added to deeds and mortgages
• may need to be added to automobile insurance
• know the person's wishes (medical treatments, funeral, finances, etc.)

INFORMATION TO HAVE ON HAND

• insurance (Medicare / Medicaid number, supplement, other policies)
• doctors (names, phone numbers, and other contact information)
• medical history (medications, allergies, conditions, procedures)
• identification (social security, military ID, driver's license numbers)
• address list (friends, neighbors, family)
• service providers (attorney, financial advisor, clergy, accountant)
• financial (account numbers, checkbook, investments, tax records)
• legal (wills, powers of attorney, health care directive)
• deeds (house, other property, car title, boat title)
• insurance (life, medical, auto, homeowner's)
• household (mortgage, apartment lease, property tax records)
• vital records (birth certificate, marriage license, divorce decree)
• final wishes (organ donation, burial, property distribution)

MAKE SURE THAT YOU

• respect your parent's independence, even while taking care of them
• allow your parent to make as many decisions as appropriate
• have reasonable expectations of what your parent can do independently
• talk regularly with your parent about their concerns, desires, and frustrations
• make informed decisions that are in the best interest of your parent's needs
• show compassion while you are trying to be efficient and responsible

TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF

• recognize when you are getting worn out and need a break
• make use of support groups, family, and other caregivers in your situation
• take regular breaks to do something enjoyable for yourself

Copyright 2000-2009 Ramona Creel -- you are welcome to reprint any article, but you MUST include this resource box.

Ramona Creel is a Professional Organizer and NAPO Golden Circle Member. A former Social Worker, she has always enjoyed helping people find the resources and solutions they need to improve their lives. Ramona now travels the country as a full-time RVer, sharing her story of simplicity with everyone she meets. She leads by example -- having worked for more than 10 years as a Professional Organizer, and having radically downsized and simplified her own life as a full-time RVer. Ramona now considers herself a "Renaissance Woman" -- bringing all of her passions together into one satisfying career. As a "Virtual Organizer", she can create a customized organizing plan for your home or office. As a "Simplicity and Accountability Coach ", Ramona provides a proven program for making every area of your life a little bit easier -- perfect for those who want to make the time and space to focus on their true priorities. As a Professional Photographer, Ramona captures powerful images of places and people as she travels. And as a freelance writer and blogger, she shares organizing techniques, travel tips, and social commentary with others. You can see all these sides of Ramona -- read her articles, browse through her photographs, and even hire her to help get your life in order -- at www.RamonaCreel.com. You can also follow her on Twitter, check out her  Facebook profile.

Would you like to reprint this tip sheet in your publication -- or distribute it to a wider audience? Click here for reprinting instructions.

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