Talk to them about Advanced Directives. Do they want to be resuscitated, do they want artificial feeding etc. This is always a tough discussion but one that really needs to be done.
Get a Health Care Proxy in place which specifically states their wishes. Help them to appoint the child ablest to follow through with their wishes. Don’t feel offended if they chose your brother or sister over you as health care proxy. All that matters is someone they love is going to follow the wishes they have put forward
Make sure you have a Power of Attorney and more importantly, make sure that power of attorney is comprehensive! It is best if you see an elder attorney. An inadequate Power of Attorney can cause great problems down the line. Even worse, no Power of Attorney can lead to guardianship and high legal fees.
Learn about resources for the Aging. Meet with a Geriatric Care Manager or an Aging specialist to become knowledgeable about the options before you need them. Options such as Home Delivered meal services, online food shopping, Adult Day Care, Home Care, Assistive Technology, Assisted Living and Nursing homes all cost money and planning can help reduce the “Pinch”
Be involved with their medical care. You make not need to go to appointments yet, but you should know who their Medical Doctors are and make sure you have a HIPPA release for all of them.
Make sure you know where their Will is and DON’T place it in their safe deposit box if you do not have access.
Get them to make of list of all their financial information (ie; where they have accounts, life ins, stocks and bonds especially if they are still paper, etc). They don’t have to hand that information to you. Just ask them to compile a list and put it in a safe place – one you know about and can access if needed.
