Families need to plan caregiving ahead of time

Many families will face a time when their aging parent or relative starts to need assistance, and once that happens, there are a number of things that caregivers have to decide upon, according to The Bellingham Herald.

First, families have to decide who will be the one to take care of the senior, and they should not forget to include the loved one during this important step.

"Ask your aging relative to choose (as long as he or she has the capacity to do so) one person who will take responsibility in making sure all tasks are attended to," Beti Bergman, founder of a probate law firm, told the news source. "This person in can delegate duties to other family members."

Also, appointing a living trust and a power of attorney is important, along with sorting out all of the finances, the media outlet reports.

According to Douglas Budget, there are several resources that the 66 million caregivers in the U.S. can take advantage of to hopefully lessen the burden of some of these very tough decisions. Whether choosing home care or a retirement living community, caregivers and their aging loved ones need to decide early on which option is best for them.