Planning the Future with Dementia Diagnosis

Everyone loves to have control over their lives and be able to make decisions concerning their future. However, once a dementia diagnosis is given things will never be the same again. Planning the future with a dementia diagnosis means that those diagnosed will play crucial roles in making important decisions that pertain to personal, financial care, and other parts of their daily lives. 

A dementia diagnosis comes with many significant challenges: driving, working, living arrangements, lifestyle, and medical support. It is not easy, but you must discuss and plan for the future to prevent stressful and difficult situations from arising. 

There are several issues that a caregiver or family member must be aware of to encourage the person with dementia to plan for the future and seek professional guidance whenever possible. This will ensure the protection of the patient’s personal and financial interests. 

Why Talk About The Future?

If you or someone you know is diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, thinking beyond the present day and condition may be scary. However, it is essential to start taking the steps towards the future now, while the person with the diagnosis is fully capable of doing so.. 

After all, it becomes harder to think over time when you have dementia. Planning and making decisions early helps ensure that sound decisions are made and that these are communicated well to the right people. 

This article discusses some of the essential details to consider and tips to help you plan your life and future going forward with dementia.

Key Aspects of Planning for the Future

Health Care Planning

The first place to start is the advance directives. These are legal documents outlining the patient’s preferences which will only apply when they can’t make decisions anymore. For a health care plan, these documents communicate their wishes before they become incapacitated and are followed by their doctors and health providers for their medical treatment. 

The advance directive has two primary documents in it:

• A living will, which instructs the doctors about how the patient prefers to be treated if they are permanently unconscious or dying and cannot decide their emergency treatment. 
• A durable power of attorney for health care, which designates a person as a “proxy” that can make medical decisions when the patient is no longer capable of doing that. 

Without putting the advance directives in place, once a person loses their ability to think and talk, other people will have to step in to make medical decisions on their behalf.

This is another reason why patients must start talking to family, friends, and medical health providers about the type of care they want as soon as possible. It would also help to talk to your doctors regularly.

For example, during the later stage of Alzheimer’s disease, people may have difficulties with swallowing. This can cause the liquid or food to go into their lungs and may lead to pneumonia. As a result, the doctor may recommend using a feeding tube that connects the nose and the stomach, antibiotics for fighting lung infection and aiding recovery, and a ventilator for breathing.

However, in some cases, the patient may choose comfort over recovery, especially if they are nearing the end of their life. 

Financial Planning

The advance directives also apply to financial planning. This directive is created while the patient still has the capacity for decision-making legally. For a financial directive, there are three primary documents involved:

• A will: This document specifies how the patient’s estate – all financial assets such as money and properties – will be managed or distributed after they die. It may also include information about gifts, minors, and end-of-life arrangements like funeral and burial.
• A durable power of attorney for finances: This document names a person that will make all the financial decisions for the patient when they are no longer able to do so. 
• A living trust: This document names and instructs a trustee about holding and distributing funds and properties on behalf of the patient when they cannot do that anymore. 

These documents can be prepared by the lawyers with the patient and their family members too. 

Long-Term Care Planning

According to the World Health Organization, long-term dementia care is needed as the symptoms progress.

As such, someone with a dementia diagnosis and their family members must start to plan for their long-term care almost immediately. Geriatric care managers, including social workers and nurses, can work with them on their long-term care plans.

This care can be provided to the patient in an outside facility or their home. However, they may require round-the-clock care because they may exhibit certain behaviors such as wandering or aggression.

So, it may not be safe for them to remain at home anymore (and many adult children find themselves unable to provide the long-term care and support that a dementia patient needs).

People who require full-time help need to be moved to a facility like a residential facility or nursing home to provide them with the around-the-clock care they need. 

Some of the things to consider when making long-term plans are:

• Where they live as they grow older
• Finding the residence that provides best for their needs 
• The services that are available within the community and the cost 
• How much planning do you need to make in advance to help with the patient’s decision-making while they still can? 

End-of-Life Planning 

There is currently no cure for dementia. There are only treatments to manage the symptoms over a long time.

However, the patient’s condition will decline gradually and ultimately result in their death. This is why it is essential to plan and make early decisions about the patient’s life. In doing the end-of-life planning, what should be considered first is the quality of life and the care that can extend their life. 

This is why hospice care is important to ensure that they live their last few days in the best way possible. Hospice care comes in during the last six months of their life and can be essential for maintaining their dignity and comfort at the end of their life. However, like every other thing, the patient has to decide or agree to this while they can still make decisions.

Without using an advance directive or choosing a healthcare proxy, someone else will have to decide at this stage of the patient’s life. This situation is usually very difficult and emotional for the patient and the family. Caregivers that have the role of making the decisions would have to think of what the patient would want in that situation and choose accordingly.

Tips for Planning

There are several things that dementia patients and their family members should do after the diagnosis to prepare them for the future. According to researchers McConnell and Meyer, some of these are: 

• Start holding the conversation as early as possible with family members.
• Update documents regularly as the situation changes.
• Gather all important papers in a spot and make sure a trusted person has access to them. 
• Make several copies of healthcare directives and place them in all medical files. 
• Give the lawyer and doctor advance permission to talk to your caregiver directly if the need arises. 

Making early plans will help to protect the dementia patient, while reducing stress and fear for their family members and loved ones.

Conclusion

Dealing with dementia has its difficulties both physically and emotionally for the patient and their loved ones. Therefore, it is crucial to consider the future and plan for it as soon as possible. Financial, health care, and end-of-life plans are all an important part of this process.