Playing Out “What If” Scenarios
One of the best ways to begin the advance work of caregiving is to play out “what if” scenarios when your parents or family members are not yet facing them. Imagining hypothetical situations is not nearly as stressful as the “real deal,” and people are much less defensive because they aren’t being forced to make an all- or-nothing decision on the spot.
Start the conversation by letting your parents or family members know that you want to do what’s best for them. One way of doing that is to think in advance about “what if” something went wrong and you needed assistance. Tell them you’d like to go over a number of possibilities and start planning now.
Here are some examples of “what if” scenarios about Home Care:
- If you had a stroke and were told at the hospital that you needed to receive physical therapy before you went home, where would you like to go?
- Had a heart attack, what hospital would you want to treat you?
- Suffered a stroke or, perhaps for some other reason, your doctors felt it would be wise for you not to live alone, where would you like to live?
- If you broke your hip and could go home from the hospital only if you had home health care, is there an agency you prefer?
- If you could no longer drive, how would you like to get to places? What places, events and friends are most important to you?
- If you had cancer, would you want to try alternative treatment and/or receive chemotherapy and radiation?
We offer free expert assistance to help you consider everything before choosing.