Most adult children of aging adults prefer not to talk about end of life topics with their loved ones. It is so emotionally charged that they often avoid it at all costs. However, when they actually need the information, sometimes the older adult is no longer able to give it to them. This creates stress, guilt and a feeling of having let them down. That is why Diane Keefe, a Geriatric Care Manager, developed the Blueprint for Care workbook. It contains pages of forms to collect the information adult children may not even know they will need in a non-emotionally charged manner.
The workbook contains templates the parent can fill out at their leisure about medical history, diagnoses, medication lists, insurance info; who they want contacted when they pass; items they may want to give to specific people, what they want in the way of a burial service, favorite songs, quotes, bible verses, info for the obituary, personal history info and more. At the end, it gives the list of people who should be contacted upon death. Ms. Keefe used this over and over when she cared for clients and wished she had had it for herself when her mother passed. Based on her experience, she developed this workbook to help families navigate this difficult time.
In her mother-in-law’s case, she moved from Texas where she had lived for 42 years to Cleveland to be near her only child. Ms. Keefe did not know who her friends were back in Texas and who she would want to be notified. Many time families do not know family and friends from the earlier years of their parent’s life. This offers a way to tell that history. The Blueprint for Care workbook is available for $9.95 on the Caring for Parents Together website.
About Diane Keefe: Diane is a Master’s level Geriatric Care Manager. She has written "Blueprint for Care/A Practical Guide to Managing Care for Your Loved One" to guide family caregivers in providing excellent care. She offers training videos, newsletters and a blog for family caregivers.