I am trying to be as organized as possible as I help with my dad. Trying to understand what resources are out there that others have found helpful. Thank you
I would have All of my Mom's information and passwords protected and covered. Before, I used lifelock but, I am currently using the Aura program to watch my bank accounts, freeze my credit lines, monitor my drivers ID, house deed, SS #... take my name off of information brokerage accounts ..and keep track of all my bill pays, etc. I used Alexa to set up reminders for appointments or activities, med times, etc. I used Alexa devices to monitor my Mom when I left her in the care of hired caregivers. Furthermore, I always showed them where the Alexa devices were and that they were on (cameras are in built and I simply programmed them to record and send to my monitor system). Alexa music was perfect for finding the right type of music to keep my Mom calm depending on what age her dementia told her she was. When my Mom passed, I used Amazon's recycle program and turned in all the Alexa devices for credit back.
One thing my husband and I use (both for our own family and for caring for my mom) is the Family Wall app. It allows us to have shopping lists, calendars, to-do lists all shared between us. You can invite other people to participate, so if you have siblings or others helping they can be part of the group. We have 2 groups - one for our family (us and our kids) and one for caring for my mom (just me and my husband right now, but we used to have my sister and my cousin, too.) In addition to to-do lists, we use the list function to save lists of medications, lists of doctors and addresses, etc. That way if any of us is sick, the others have all our pertinent info for the medical team. You can specify permissions by list - so some are private and some are shared. For the one we have with our kids, we even have an "In Case of Death" list for our kids, in case something happens and they need to know our plans and our assets. We added that after my dad got sick/died and my mom with dementia couldn't remember any of their policies or plans. It costs about $45 a year but it's been worth every penny for us.
And I second everyone saying use online portals as much as possible, and an Excel workbook to keep track of them all/keep track of spending, etc.
Fawnby has it right. Just in terms of household and not digital: make sure showers have grab bars. If necessary, a transfer chair. He still needs a person alarm system (You know “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up thing”). Rugs need to be secure and no clutter to avoid falls. I personally have found Amazon Alexa a godsend for those repeated questions. He can ask about time, weather, date, set reminders and you can personalize it further. You don’t say if your Dad has Alzheimer’s or something else. The Alzheimer’s Association is very helpful if that is the case.
In addition to all bank business and regular bills being set up on autopay:
Income tax - file online. Never use snail mail. The IRS will love you for it.
Any property taxes can be paid online and set up to automatically pay in following years so that you don't have to write checks and mail them ever again.
HOA fees - can set up to automatically deduct from bank account or pay by credit card. You never have to go into the HOA office to do it.
Voting - arrange for absentee ballots to be sent to the house so that you don't have to take him to the polls. His age will probably qualify him to vote absentee. Usually a one-time signup will provide ballots for local elections, national primaries and elections.
Vehicle registration - reminders can be sent to you via email rather than regular mail. You can go online to the DMV website and renew car registration every year. No standing in long lines at the DMV office.
Shopping - don't go into stores. Wandering around looking for items wastes time. Shop online for groceries (delivered for a small fee), other essentials, etc. I use Walmart, Amazon, and a local supermarket as well as others as needed (like Home Depot). I never pick up, always have things delivered. It isn't really expensive to do that, especially if you have a membership, like I do with Amazon Prime. Plus save gas. Plus save yourself.
Social Security - make sure he has an online account at socialsecurity.gov. You can check how much he's contributed, how much he gets as retirement, make sure he's getting the right amount of money. Have his retirement income direct deposited in his bank account, not sent to his house in a check, which then YOU have to deposit.
VA - if he gets veteran benefits or you need to find out if he should be getting them, register online with the Veterans Administration, request the forms online, and so on. Any time you don't have to wait on a phone line is a plus.
There's a lot more, but you get the idea. Good luck.
I was caregiver for my aunt and then my mom, when they were in their 90s. The best thing was to get all of their financial accounts online so that I could monitor and manage them. I was their POA for medical and financial matters. It's also good to go paperless at this point, so that you don't have to worry about privacy issues with 'strangers' in the house or being in a facility. Be sure all of his paperwork is in order. He needs to set up powers of attorney (POA) for medical (healthcare proxy) and financial matters (durable power of attorney). Hopefully you will be his POA. He also needs a living will with his advance medical directives and a will. Hopefully his mind is good and he is able to sign legal papers, if he doesn't already have these documents. Make a list of all of his accounts, and all of the bills he has to pay. I did it on an Excel spreadsheet. Include all contact information on this list (name of the company, address, contact person, telephone number, website, email address, etc.). If he is willing to let you take over his finances, have all his bills sent to your address and pay them yourself. If your father is not capable of caring for himself, including shopping, cooking, housecleaning, taking care of the house, etc., talk with him about getting help for him, either in-home people to clean, cook, etc, or moving to a senior facility. Try to locate him near you if he has to move, so that you can visit often and oversee his care. All the best to you both!
Yes, yes, and yes! I need help too. Just left my job and moved cities to help my mom. Been living with her in IL for 6 months. Moving us to a different city by end of month. I don’t know where to begin with POA stuff, but assume make an appointment with atty. Don’t mean to hijak OP question, but would like organizational ideas as well. Im thinking house / bathroom ideas as well as digital. I carry a calendar in purse for everything- of course, gotta use a pencil! Thanks everyone.
I found a lot of very reasonably priced forms/journals on Etsy.
The caregiver one I purchased was a digital download, meaning they emailed me PDFs and I print the ones that are applicable to my situation. You can print blank forms to fill in with a pen/pencil or use Adobe Acrobat (or similar) to fill on your computer/phone/tablet.
What tasks are you responsible for that you think a digital tool would be useful to you?
I personally find that using the portals (for their banks, cc, Medicare, SS, healthcare, other) is the most useful thing, and then getting text alerts for all any activity, and iCal alerts to remind me of appointments.
For dispensing meds, there are all sorts of options but it depends upon your Dad's cogntive abilities and whether you are local to him or not.
If you are trying to manage aids coming and going from his home and who did what on any given day, I don't have any experience with this but I've seen others ask about this in particular.
Can you tell us a bit more about what you mean by "digital tools". That is to say, what areas of care are you negotiating that requires digital? Are you looking for record-making and record-keeping tools as a power of attorney, or are you looking for ways of monitoring your elder from another room, another space?
More information would help us to answer you. Best out to you.
I used Alexa to set up reminders for appointments or activities, med times, etc.
I used Alexa devices to monitor my Mom when I left her in the care of hired caregivers. Furthermore, I always showed them where the Alexa devices were and that they were on (cameras are in built and I simply programmed them to record and send to my monitor system).
Alexa music was perfect for finding the right type of music to keep my Mom calm depending on what age her dementia told her she was.
When my Mom passed, I used Amazon's recycle program and turned in all the Alexa devices for credit back.
And I second everyone saying use online portals as much as possible, and an Excel workbook to keep track of them all/keep track of spending, etc.
We have all of her account names, phone numbers and passwords in this one place. Add dates that bills have to be paid.
Don’t forget retirement accounts, and any other investments that aren’t done by the local bank, as well.
Also,
Docs’ offices and numbers.
Pharmacy
Hair stylist
etc.
Income tax - file online. Never use snail mail. The IRS will love you for it.
Any property taxes can be paid online and set up to automatically pay in following years so that you don't have to write checks and mail them ever again.
HOA fees - can set up to automatically deduct from bank account or pay by credit card. You never have to go into the HOA office to do it.
Voting - arrange for absentee ballots to be sent to the house so that you don't have to take him to the polls. His age will probably qualify him to vote absentee. Usually a one-time signup will provide ballots for local elections, national primaries and elections.
Vehicle registration - reminders can be sent to you via email rather than regular mail. You can go online to the DMV website and renew car registration every year. No standing in long lines at the DMV office.
Shopping - don't go into stores. Wandering around looking for items wastes time. Shop online for groceries (delivered for a small fee), other essentials, etc. I use Walmart, Amazon, and a local supermarket as well as others as needed (like Home Depot). I never pick up, always have things delivered. It isn't really expensive to do that, especially if you have a membership, like I do with Amazon Prime. Plus save gas. Plus save yourself.
Social Security - make sure he has an online account at socialsecurity.gov. You can check how much he's contributed, how much he gets as retirement, make sure he's getting the right amount of money. Have his retirement income direct deposited in his bank account, not sent to his house in a check, which then YOU have to deposit.
VA - if he gets veteran benefits or you need to find out if he should be getting them, register online with the Veterans Administration, request the forms online, and so on. Any time you don't have to wait on a phone line is a plus.
There's a lot more, but you get the idea. Good luck.
Im thinking house / bathroom ideas as well as digital. I carry a calendar in purse for everything- of course, gotta use a pencil! Thanks everyone.
The caregiver one I purchased was a digital download, meaning they emailed me PDFs and I print the ones that are applicable to my situation. You can print blank forms to fill in with a pen/pencil or use Adobe Acrobat (or similar) to fill on your computer/phone/tablet.
What tasks are you responsible for that you think a digital tool would be useful to you?
I personally find that using the portals (for their banks, cc, Medicare, SS, healthcare, other) is the most useful thing, and then getting text alerts for all any activity, and iCal alerts to remind me of appointments.
For dispensing meds, there are all sorts of options but it depends upon your Dad's cogntive abilities and whether you are local to him or not.
If you are trying to manage aids coming and going from his home and who did what on any given day, I don't have any experience with this but I've seen others ask about this in particular.
https://www.caring.com/caregivers/caregiver-technology
https://healthathome.care/technology-aging/top-caregiver-apps-for-staying-organized
That is to say, what areas of care are you negotiating that requires digital?
Are you looking for record-making and record-keeping tools as a power of attorney, or are you looking for ways of monitoring your elder from another room, another space?
More information would help us to answer you.
Best out to you.