My parents are 87 years old. I am witnessing financial decisions they made earlier in their life that has put them in a time that could leave them without resources to pay for their funeral or to have a nice assisted living center. They may end up in a care center provided by the gov't after all assets are sold.
This is so hard to sever my emotions to their past, poor financial judgments. It makes me very anxious because I want to solve their problems.
I just wonder how others manage to keep themselves 'distanced' enough from the ones who they care for so that I can live my own life without their worries and stresses.
Consider:
SYMPATHY = when I feel as bad as the dysfunctional person AND get down the rabbit hole w/ them; both may be lost, since neither then has a hold on reality, common sense, nor ability to see ways to help themselves.
It's COMMON for those who live in messes of any/all kinds, to expect others to exist down their rabbit holes with them, one way or another--expect others to be as miserable as they are, and will heavily guilt-trip others to manipulate that effect--OFTEN. They may feel kinda like they are getting their needs met, but may still keep repeating "no one ever helps me out!" Or, will keep repeating same mistakes.
Whole industries capitalize on Sympathy; it's about how to manipulate others to get the hurting person's perceived needs met.
EMPATHY = when I understand the feelings someone has due to their problems, & can identify the issues, I keep a clearer perspective; I resist falling into that rabbit hole with the dysfunctional person, AND I may still be able to A] prevent myself from becoming harmed by the other's behaviors & B] may still have a chance to save the other person. Compassion, accountability, & rational thinking help this process.
If there's any question if what is going on is functional, ask:
"Is what's going on helping, or keeping things messed up longer?"
Other's bad choices, financial, how they kept their house, "friends", significant others , foods, etc., NONE of that is much we can do ANYthing about.
Except to inform them of better options & ways to achieve good goals.
Some are ignorant--no one showed them any other way to be
---with luck, those might actually hear suggestions as solutions, & might even implement some.
Some have internal processes &/or emotional issues that prevent making good choices, often related to abusive childhoods/relationships, ills or injuries; what they choose makes sense to them, no matter how weird.
No matter what reason causes choices, each must deal with consequences of their choices.
Some choices other's make, may affect you: you must choose whether to go along with the consequences, or cut your current losses to prevent more losses.
You can instruct, inform, ask them questions that might give them a heads-up about consequences etc.
Sometimes it takes a village to get the points across [like all the wonderful folks who share their best solutions here, for instance].
Once you've offered advice/guidance/cheerleading, then you also have to be OK with letting them do as they will.
The best you can do is OK---NO one requires you to otherwise exist that person's rabbit hole with them; you're not required to pay their debts.
Messes get cleaned up one bite at a time/one corner at a time.
The job can even be delegated.
Ask yourself:
"Is this really my job to do, or, who else might be more effective at it?"
[Lighting a fire under the piles is NOT advised! ;-]
UNLESS someone has 'em declared incompetent, removing choices, the person gets to choose.
Please don't let yourself get dragged down into their mire with them--no other person can save the "drowning" one, if they are also "drowning".
RE: DSHS:
Welfare allows low-income elders to get help...with caveats.
A COUPLE can own up to about $40,000 of assets, and get help, but once one of them dies, the Survivor only can own $2000 of assets. Figures may have been changed over the last several years, but probly not much.
!?!Gotta wonder what strange algorithms formulated that as functional!
IF they are UNDER income, they can file at DSHS to get the existing Federal program to pay their monthly Medicare premium that is usually deducted from the SSI or SSDI check--that program is administered via DSHS, so pretty much same rules apply to use it as for DSHS.
ASSETS:
If those are got rid of/transferred/spent, etc. LESS THAN 5 years prior to one of the elder's needs, there must be strict accounting of where it went, & it must qualify as having been used for the person applying for DSHS, for for DSHS to allow that, to prevent a wait period before they will cover what that system can.
Its really complicated how they figure it; check with them, to learn what spend-downs are OK, and what they might consider questionable [hiding assets].
My advice is to persuade them to let you help with their bill paying, etc. It took a major battle to get my dad to do this, but he definitely hasn't missed it at all and now he's living within his means and his taxes are up to date, so his home is safe. All his other assets are gone, but "no sense crying over spilt milk."
You owe them time, emotional support and what you want to provide without risking your own financial security. They will likely be eligible for Medicaid, if needed.
Do not stress about funeral expenses, when the time comes look into cremation and disposition of remains through your county medical examiner office.
Sounds like you learned from them and will likely do a better job of planning for your later years.
Best of luck!
L
As for making the remaining money last, I got nuthin'. Be frugal on their behalf. I've been hearing in news and magazine reports recently that smaller homes, not big institutional ALC and NHs, are less expensive and offer better care. That might help, if there are any in your/their area.
If they own their home, make sure it gets taken care of, so if they need a reverse mortgage, the home will be worth something.
I really understand what you mean. The emotions you feel about them after leaving a mess for you to clean up.
My FIL put up a good front and people thought he had money. Actually, he left a giant pile of debt, mortgages etc.
I am dealing .......with the anger I now have.......... over the mess he left in my lap. Extended family imply that I am hiding something because he always acted so "financially together." BTW he had zero life insurance and now I must pay to bury him out of my own pocket. So I had him cremated w no viewing. Extended family & friend thinks I am cheap and/or keeping money or? All the explaining...........I am so tired of it all. So I understand you emotions.
So what to do….you kinda have to be bitterly realistic as to the future costs for them. Can you go over their expenses & income to see exactly where they stand? If they have a home, review the whole tax, insurance, utility and maintenance situation. If they just cannot afford to pay for all on the home, then the home needs to be sold and they move into IL or senior housing or subsidized senior housing. At 87, they have beaten the aging tables so could live another 5 years for your dad or another 8 - 10 for your mom. So there is time to make changes for the better.
Now would be a good time to do this, as with Thanksgiving and the Holidays coming up, you will hopefully have the opportunity to talk rationally with other family on the train wreck you see on the horizon. Good luck.
What assets to they own? Can you talk to them about selling enough to purchase a small insurance policy to cover their funerals, or to pre-pay for their funerals. It gives my mother a lot of peace of mind to know this is taken care of.
If you can do something about their financial state, such as encouraging them to get insurance, do your best. For things you can do nothing about, such as decisions made in the past, let them go. Fretting and worrying and stressing out will not change a thing.
Focus on the present and future. Given the current situation (never mind whose fault it was that it got this way) is there anything you can do to make their future better? Do it. Don't worry about things you can't change.