Making a Plan for Momma | The TAP Plan

For Those Wanting to Craft Their Future Care Road Map

Today I want to talk about making a plan. As Caregivers, our lives are often beyond hectic. Without a making a plan, we are virtually begging for failure.

Before I share our new concept of making a plan, I want to share some GREAT NEWS! We’re about to announce the release of Mom Centered Family Meeting on Amazon. Yes, it took a LOT longer than I would have anticipated. But, in the end, it’s a better book. We will our loyal Caregiver Connection readers a first shot at this book along with special book bonuses. Stay tuned – it should be out within two weeks. If you haven’t already joined Caregiver Connection, what are you waiting for?! JOIN TODAY!

But just as the ink is dry on this book we have started yet another, which is called “The TAP Plan”. Since we have a part of this next book already written, our goal is to get it out before the end of summer. We are fast tracking the TAP Plan book because we see so many people who should be making a TAP plan.

The purpose of making a TAP Plan is to lay out the structure of a plan for those who want to craft their future care road map and are still well enough to participate in the planning process.

So today, I’m sharing some of the overall pieces of this new strategy with you. The TAP plan can help Seniors design the quality of life they want, based on their finances, support and other resources that may be available to them. But to better understand the need for the TAP Method, let’s start with the method usually used, which is…

The Hope & Wait Method

In the past, many people opted for the “Hope & Wait” Plan. This “plan” is to simply hope for the best and wait to see what happens. While the “Hope & Wait ” plan works out well for some, it is very ineffective for many others. Not only does not planning for incapacity make future planning for an incapacitated senior very difficult – it adversely affects the lives of their adult children who are thrust in a position of guessing what Mom & Dad would have wanted.

The kids love Mom & Dad and desperately want to help, but they have a life of their own. They have families, jobs and are committed to doing non-stop activities on a daily basis. Making a plan is a necessity – unless the kids are planning for catastrophe.

The Reason for Making A Different Kind of Plan

Thankfully, we are beginning to see some changes in the planning landscape. Only a few years ago, we saw people who would neglect lifetime planning, even to the detriment of their own health. The total focus was attempting to maximize the distribution to their children at death. But now things are beginning to change.

People are beginning to realize that, although their children love them, they may not be in the position to help. They have jobs, families and lives of their own. As we discussed in our last edition, the adult kids would rally in the event of an emergency, but then they would have to hurry back home.

Seniors are beginning to realize that they have to put a plan in place to provide for their own future quality of life. This is crucial if they reach the point where they can no longer provide for their own care.

We have heard many seniors say something like, “I don’t want to be a burden on my kids”. They know that their kids love them and will help, even if it hurts. But many seniors don’t want to be the parent that is responsible for holding their kids back when they have worked their lifetime to encourage their kids to move forward. The reality is that in today’s busy world, it’s no longer feasible for your kids to drop everything and provide for your care long term.

So What Can We Do?

Seniors can craft a plan that’s very different from traditional estate planning of years past. Yes, they can have the traditional Last Will & Testament or Revocable Living Trust that designates how property will be distributed at their death. And they can nominate an executor or a successor trustee. This is in fact a very important part of the planning process and should continue to be done.

However, this type of planning overlooks a missing component, which is, what happens if I am no longer able to fend for myself before I die? That’s where the TAP Plan fills the planning gap.

Keep your eyes open for more information on the TAP Plan in the coming months!

In the meantime, think about the following:

• What type of care would you want if you were no longer able to provide care for yourself?
• Who would you want making decisions for you?
• Which assets would you want to be liquidated first to pay for your care?
• Which would you never want to be liquidated and spent?
• Who would you want to make health care financial decisions for you?

There are many other decisions to be made but some serious thought along these lines should to get off to a good start.

We wish you the best as you start to plan your future care road map.

We want to be friends!

Ok. That might come off a little fast, but you can trust us. We want to help! We fully understand the stress and turmoil that you are facing as Family Caregiver – including personal experiences with burnout.

In our time as caregivers, we have amassed a wealth of knowledge that we desire to pass on. We understand the emotions involved while making necessary preplanning and caregiving decisions. Likewise, we have met many professional caregivers (like Alzheimer’s Caregiver Phil Smith), as well as other family members who were thrust as Family Caregiver. All caregivers have shared the same advice – Join a community! There is nothing more cleansing for our situation than knowing that we are not alone!

We have since created Caregiver Connection. Caregiver Connection is a newsletter that we write personally and send to fellow Caregivers. It is full of tips, tricks, direction and even professional advice. If you would like to sign up, click the button below.

Please Invite Someone to Our Newsletter

Being an Adult Kid who is helping mom as she is declining can be a scary, frustrating and lonely place lacking stability. You feel like you are solely responsible for solving Mom’s problems while managing yours. Some occasional input and a community you can trust would help, especially when facing burnout! This is a way that all of us can be working together as caregivers!

Many others that you may personally know are having to figure it all out by themselves. Most of them have no community. Please take a minute and do them a favor. Copy this link:

~> help.mom/cc <~

Send it to them in an email or private message. From there, they can click on it and subscribe to our newsletter for free.

Then they can enjoy weekly tips and encouragement. They no longer have to feel so alone in their family caregiver journey. They will appreciate the favor! Thank you for thinking of them!