What can we do now to make it easier for those who will provide care for us? We're all here because in varying degrees and situations we're all involved in care giving and have learned the good and bad of the role. I've been catching up on several days worth of posts and questions, and it led me to wondering---given our collective experiences, what are we doing or preparing for the time we will be where our parents or others we are care giving are? What can we do now to make it easier for those who will provide care for us? We've done the obvious like make a will, advanced directives, and POA's, but we all know that's just a part of it. What else can we do for when it's "us"?
Examples: "If you don't do this, this will happen" or "If you do this, this will happen" "Never let me eat ______" "I always eat _____ after meals every day". "I tend to feel pain here, when I ________ and this is how I deal with it." "I develop _____ unless this is applied." "I despise eating ________" "Perfume makes me ill" "I love/despise (red tulips, visits with dogs, children, _____ music)" "I can't stand to (have my hair fooled with too much, wear anything around my neck, to have my nails filed, wear socks with seams, etc.)" "Please continue to send a birthday/Christmas card from me to ______".
I think it would be a good idea to give this to a family member while you are still able to make your needs known and ask them to ensure it is given to whoever will be caring for you and included in the folder with the advance directives.
I also think it is nice to leave a note or poem or essay that would be comforting or uplifting to whoever disposes of your things...when my Dad died I really was comforted to find a sweet short story about a mouse he had written. I treasure the poems and stories my mom has written and we read them together now.
If you have recipes that the family loves...be sure to write them down and share them or they will be lost forever. I just realized my mom's potato salad recipe was never written down and she has now has no memory of how she made it.
The same with photos...write down who is in them on the back, if you wish the people in them to be known and remembered.
Not a darn thing.