The percentage of adult children providing personal care and/or financial assistance to a parent has more than tripled over the past 15 years. According to the MetLife Mature Market Institute research, “Currently, a quarter of adult children, mainly Baby Boomers, provide these types of care to a parent.” How do we plan well so we can help our families live well? What is the cost of our newfound longevity? How can baby boomers accompany their aging parents while planning for their own future?

If you are assisting an aging parent in finding care, choosing where to live, managing healthcare, and planning for the future, the learning curve can be steep. Fortunately, there are professionals in the Puget Sound region that offer eldercare consulting, care management, as well as personalized in-home care. Mary Lynn Pannen, RN, BSN, CCM, a friend of Financial Insights from Rotary 8 and owner of Sound Options, offers insights into how her care management firm can help.5c2ef955-956e-4812-9713-96b911a0e999

For over 25 years, Sound Options has accompanied families in the Puget Sound region as they prepare for long-life, care for aging loved ones, or rebuild life after a trauma. We provide comprehensive care and guidance that is informed by our holistic approach to care and well-being. We’ve built a team of Registered Nurses, Masters of Social Work, and Certified Nursing Assistants who specialize in the holistic care needs of aging adults and those with chronic illness.

Whether you are looking to help an aging parent stay in their home safely in the beautiful Puget Sound, you’re experiencing some caregiver burnout, or you are managing a crisis like a fall or diagnosis with dementia, we can turn stressful situations into customized and manageable solutions. Here are just a few of the ways we can serve your family:

Professional Care Managers:

  • Create a comprehensive care plan around the family’s needs and vision of life lived well
  • Guide families through the healthcare maze to help them avoid the pitfalls so they can be informed and cost-effective healthcare consumers
  • Assist with navigating Medicare, long-term care insurance, benefits, and paying for care
  • Save families money through planning and reducing the costs of a crisis
  • Proactively coordinate and oversee care including appointments, medications, and services
  • Advocate in living and healthcare settings
  • Educate family on changing circumstances, diseases, as well as care and living options
  • Mediate difficult family dynamics and varied opinions about care solutions
  • Consult with families to help them make informed elder-care decisions
  • Give insight into the task of estimating long-term care and healthcare needs and costs

In-Home Caregivers:

  • Personalize and customize care and activities in the client’s home to relieve family
  • Assist with daily activities such as meal prep, dressing, self-care, errands, & hobby support to maintain safety and dignity in the home.
  • Transport clients to appointments, activities, or errands
  • Care for complex needs such as tube feedings, diabetes assistance or administering medications.
  • Provide compassionate dementia support in the home

So much of elder-care planning is the ability to both clarify the values and priorities that shape what you want from your care, and the ability to build the financial, social, and medical scaffolding to support your vision of long life lived well. When it comes to getting answers to the big questions in elder-care, let the experts at Sound Options guide and care for you and your loved ones.

Give them a call at (800) 628-7649 and they would love to help.