Designed for Long Distance Caregiving
As a long distance caregiver, you face some of the toughest challenges of anyone because you are on call 24x7x365. I am sending you hugs right now because I imagine you are in desperate need of a break (and probably a big glass of wine). It can sometimes feel like you are drowning in a sea of unplanned urgent caregiving tasks.
This book comes from 10+ years of experience managing my parents' care from several states away. It will help you set up your Caregiving System - the secret to getting your life back.
Whether you live 10, 100 or 1,000 miles away, Managing Elder Care from Afar: A Practical Guide for Busy People, will help you stay organized, save time and manage all aspects of your parent’s care from anywhere.
This Book Answers Questions Such As:
- How do I get past "I refuse to move" discussion enders?
- How do I get my siblings or other family members to pitch in and help out?
- How do I know what's really going on when I can't be there to see it firsthand?
- Will my parent run out of money?
- Does my parent need long-term care insurance?
- How do I use durable power of attorney to manage my parent's finances?
- How do I protect my parent from identity theft?
- When can I use medical power of attorney to make health care decisions on my parent's behalf?
- What's the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?
- How do I compare eldercare at home with assisted living costs?
- What are the 5 signs it's time to consider a move to assisted living?
...and many more!
Wherever you are in this daunting process, this book will help you manage all aspects of your parent's care from afar by systematizing routine caregiving activities, organizing all the information you need at your fingertips, and documenting things so that others CAN help you. With this book, you will tame the chaos and stop feeling so overwhelmed.
About the Author
Diane Dagefoerde currently serves as Deputy Chief Information Officer at The Ohio State University where she leads a team of 280+ IT professionals who provide core IT services and operations.
As a busy professional, she understands the unique demands caring for an elder parent places on one’s career and personal life. She wrote Managing Elder Care from Afar: A Practical Guide for Busy Peopleto help others care for their loved ones with less stress and more time for the things that matter most.
Diane Dagefoerde
Designed for Distance Caregivers, but Also Helpful if you...
...are very busy.
Even if you live a short drive from your parent, your busy life – constantly on the go with work, kids, exercise, social life – makes looking after your parent a monumental challenge. This book will help you manage their care from work, home, your kid’s baseball game, the gym parking lot, or anywhere else.
...travel frequently.
You’re often on the road for work or sports or other reasons. Don’t let a mini-crisis with your parent cut a trip short because there was no one available to help out. This book will show you how to set up “first responders” who can step in and handle things on your behalf when you can’t be there.
...want to help out.
You want to help your sibling who is your parent's primary caregiver but you aren't sure how. This book will show you which tasks you can do from a distance and remove some of the burden from your overwhelmed brother or sister.
...are reluctant to take on the caregiver role.
You feel obligated to help with the basics, but you are not willing or able to do more.
This book will help you identify the 3-5 things you can do that will provide meaningful help to your parent without getting deeply involved in all aspects of their care.
…need to have "the talk" with your parent.
This book will help you figure out how to open a caregiving conversation with your parent, such as offering to serve in a financial “backup” role or volunteering to help with complex tasks like shopping for supplemental health insurance.
…are the parent and need help talking to your children about your care.
This book can serve as a “How to take care of me” guide. It will help you and your adult children work through emotional decisions in a calm, straightforward way with practical steps and no-nonsense advice that will make you rest easier.
Reviews
A Systems Approach
It’s not surprising that, as an IT professional, the author would use a systems approach to what is a very difficult, complicated, and emotional situation. But that is exactly what makes this book so valuable. She introduces the stages of the issues in clear and concise ways, offers tools and suggestions to navigate the steps that can help make the situation easier for everyone involved, and provides the reader with ‘lessons learned’ from her own experience. For those of us that have or will face elder care in our very busy and complicated lives, this book is loaded with steps and processes that can help us with the difficult situations that we will encounter as we care for a loved one.
-- Wayne C.
Tame the Chaos
I'm only a few years into this journey with my grandparents and it still feels like complete chaos. I can relate to all of the topics but the value for me was this book helped me realize I need to take a look at how I've been managing their care, but also everyone's feelings.
One reminder that just sticks with me now is that care giving is about quality of life. [...] We've started that conversation and it's really interesting and different than I thought it would be.
For anyone whose new to managing family care this is a great head start, and will save you a lot of heartache...(esp. the tools/insurance) if you're like me and feeling overwhelmed this is a great way to ground decisions you've made and hopefully take better care of yourself and your loved ones.
--Benjamin H.
Valuable Resource
When your family has a parent with health issues, it seems like there is no where to turn, but this "book" offers guidance and tools to get through this stressful time. I put book in quotes because the book is only part of the package. Downloadable worksheets and tools for planning bring this book to a new level. This resource has so much to offer and is written in a conversational tone that makes it easier to deal with these decisions and feel confident your parent is getting the best care possible at the right time, even though you live in a different city or state. I love this resource!
-- Eva B.
Nuts and Bolts of Providing Care
This highly original book addresses a problem frequently encountered but seldom discussed: how to provide elder care when you don't live close to where your parents live. While the focus is on elder care, the principles and practices could also apply to caring for any friend or loved one at a distance.
The book doesn't offer simplistic advice. Instead, the author deals with the nuts and bolts of providing care, dealing with legal and medical issues, and evaluating alternative ways to solve logistical issues, including the complicated decision about moving to assisted living. The tone is compassionate throughout both for the caregivers and the loved one(s) involved.
This is a book that truly delivers on its promise to inform and assist readers who face daunting challenges. I recommend it very highly and will share it with members of my congregation in Lewistown, PA.
--John H.
Free Bonus Guides & Worksheets!
Details on how to get them are in the book.
BONUS #1: Care Planning Guide
A workbook to help you estimate what types of help your parent will need next.
BONUS #2: Financial Forecasting Guide
Excel templates for annual income and expense budget, a 10-year forecast, and an assisted living scenario.
BONUS #3: Care Coordination Guide
Worksheets to use with siblings and other caregivers to coordinate all aspects of your parent's care.
BONUS #4: Quick Reference Guide
A quick reference guide to all of the apps, websites, books and other resources included in the book.
Order your copy today!
Get immediate help with:
- Quality of life for you and your parent
- Hiring and managing caregivers
- Finances, POA, legal documents
- Setting up your caregiving system
- Health care plan to guide decisions
- Health and long term care insurance
- Assisted living
...and much more!