If you find yourself in charge of finding your parents' next living situation, you'll need answers -- lots of answers. Explain to your parents that in order to help them, you'll need their assistance in filling out this worksheet. Block out some time to sit down together and come up with the information you'll need to find the right home for your parents.
Get a clear picture of your parents' health.
Before you make any decisions about the type of housing to look for, you'll need to know how much assistance your parents are likely to require, what medical conditions they need help with, and how their mental health, especially memory, might influence the choice. (Fill out a separate health worksheet for each individual.)
Question | Answer (leave space to write notes) | Follow-up steps | Done (check off) |
Who is your primary care physician? Are there any specialists you see regularly? | Get contact info for each doctor, in case you need to find out more about your parents' health. | ||
Which daily tasks are presenting a challenge for you? | Make a list to discuss with potential care providers and assisted-living facilities. | ||
What prescription drugs are you taking? | Make a list that includes dose and prescription frequency. |
I suggest starting with a search using www.YourCity.MD by putting in your zip code then picking one of the cities to get all the local information about senior living facilities available to the public. The reports are all free. The facilities in each city are rated and after you search for any facility you can click on it to see which are best for your family. Thisd is a great site to find out the information you seek.