It looks like I'm cheating, I'm a Parkinson's Patient, not a caregiver. I have lived a very reclusive, solitary life over the last many years. I have absolutely no one, no family, no friends, very few acquaintances. No one. How on earth do I go about finding the necessary people to act as my proxy on all of these important documents. It's a dilemma, I refuse to allow myself to be moved to a 'facility' of an 'institution' because I know what really goes on in these places. My resources are slim, but I can get by. If anyone has some useful thoughts on this, I'd be grateful for your input.
Are you reclusive b/c of the Parkinson's?
Are there any organizations, such as for Parkinson's, that you belong to? I was thinking perhaps one of the officers might be a suitable candidate.
What I would not consider is an organization that specializes in alleging managing geriatric persons' affairs; it's strictly a professional, commercial approach.
It would be professional and commercial with an attorney as well, but I have more confidence in them, and the attorney would get to know you in the process of creating your estate planning documents. In addition, large law firms have paralegal staff which would handle most of the day to day aspects of care management and they would bill at a lower rate than an attorney, but would have the benefit of oversight by the responsible attorney.
As for Medical Power of Attorney, that is a tough one. I ran into that problem because I have no siblings and no children.
As for moving into Independent Living which has Assisted Living for down the road, there are many out there that are like living in a resort. My Dad moved to one, and he said many times over he wished he would have been there years sooner... he really loved the place... the food was outstanding.... the place was always spotless, and the main thing he felt very safe. Yes, these places can be expensive. But there are also very nice places that are more reasonably priced.
Therein lies the problem, a paid POA or Guardian will do what is expedient when you need care, it would be unrealistic to expect otherwise. You had best write your Living Will with detailed attention to every possibility and set your finances up in a way that will afford you the quality of life you expect, not the cheapest or most convenient options. And better to pre-approve the least distasteful facility now than to wait for someone to make that choice for you when the need arises. If you are really serious about maintaining control until the end you might also consider moving to a State that allows you to choose death with dignity.
It strikes me as a peculiar development that as one who prefers to live quietly, and alone, that one should be faced with this dilemma.