Katherine Herczeg, MSN, APRN
Bitterroot Physicians Clinic South
3334 Dvn Lane, Darby MT 59829
Caregivers and Executors Matter: Dignified Aging Part I
Aging is an inevitable part of life. Some of us go through this process
more gracefully than others and end-of- life planning seems to be a difficult
task for many families. To understand the impact of our aging population,
let me leave you with a few statistics and facts. Per Mark Mather (2016),
"the number of Americans ages 65 and older is projected to more than
double from 46 million today to over 98 million by 2060, and the 65-and-
older age group's share of the total population will rise to nearly
24 percent from 15 percent." Given the average U.S. life expectancy
has increased from 68 years to 79 years in 2013, it is plain to see why
these numbers are doubling. This is due to reduction in mortality through
access to healthcare and identification and treatment of chronic health
conditions. The population reference bureau report summarizes that 27%
of women ages 65-74 lived alone in 2014 and the aging of the baby boom
generation could cause a 75% increase in the number of Americans ages
65 and older requiring nursing home care (Mather, 2016).
With aging as an established and inevitable statistic, it is important
to have a plan for yourself and your family. In my experience, I have
never heard the complaint "I wish (said family member or friend)
hadn't been so prepared." I have however, witnessed the unexpected
changes in health or loss of life in families that were not prepared for
the change. These experiences have been observed in both my personal and
professional life. The best time to plan of course would be when you have
the physical and mental abilities to do so to ensure your plan meets your
wishes. It is recommended that your caregivers and potential executors
play a vital and knowledgeable role in this so your wishes will be carried
through in the event you are unable to direct the process. A caregiver
is anyone that regularly delivers your care and fulfills your basic needs.
An executor, in this sense, is someone named in a will, or appointed by
the court, who is given the legal responsibility to take care of a deceased
person's remaining financial obligations. This means taking care of
everything from disposing of property to paying bills and taxes. Most
executors are immediate family members, with spouses, children and parents
being the most common executors.
The only way to prepare your family for your aging is to prepare yourself.
We cannot age alone, as we do not live alone. We need to reach out to
those closest to us so that they can provide the support we want and need
in the way we want. If you were no longer able to care for yourself, what
would really matter to you? What brings joy and quality to your life?
If you were no longer able to manage your finances, who would assist with
this? If you were diagnosed with a life threatening condition, do you
know what end-of- life healthcare measures you would want? If something
happened to you today, would those closest to you know what medications
you are on, who your health care provider is, your medical problems and
allergies? Unfortunately, most of us live a life of reaction rather than
being proactive. It is often emergencies, life-threatening illnesses or
some accident that forces us to gather this information and ask really
tough questions during a period of high stress. The best way to lessen
this stress and take care of worry is to prepare yourself and your loved
ones for your aging with a defined and written plan. A plan not shared,
cannot be followed.
The two main areas to establish a written plan are: healthcare/medical
and estate planning. Once these documents are completed, it is important
to share them with a designee, loved one, health care provider and or
medical facility in appropriate fashion. The terms "living will",
"health care directive", and "advance directive",
all refer to the legal document that lets people state their wishes for
end-of- life medical care in the event they can't communicate for
themselves. Without a legal document expressing those wishes, family members
and health care providers are left to guess what a seriously ill person
would prefer in terms of treatment. They may end up in painful disputes,
which occasionally make it all the way to a courtroom.
In closing, I hope I have imparted on you the importance of planning during
the aging process. Part II of this series will provide a checklist of
questions and information to gather as well as local resources on obtaining
assistance with these important documents. Part III is an invitation to
the Caregivers and Executors Matter health class on Thursday, December
8th at Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital from 5:30pm to 7pm. Larry Johnson,
Attorney at Law and I are hosting this class and looking forward to sharing
more about being prepared for end-of- life and answering your questions.
For questions and or comments see you at the health class and or contact
Katherine Herczeg, MSN, APRN at Bitterroot Physicians Clinic South, a
clinic of Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital, at 3334 Dvn Lane, Darby MT 59829
or call (406) 375-4142. Working together to build a healthier community!
Mather, M. (2016). Fact Sheet: Aging in the United States. Retrieved from
http://www.prb.org/Publications/Media-Guides/2016/aging-unitedstates-fact-sheet.aspx.