Paperwork To Prepare Before Moving to Assisted Living
Now that your loved one has chosen their apartment in their new assisted living community, you’re likely in the midst of helping out with the move. You’ll need to find a reputable moving company with senior experience, start helping out with the downsizing process, and offer encouragement as your loved one prepares for the transition.
The time before the move to assisted living is an excellent time to get important documents in order. After all, you’re sorting through drawers and filing cabinets anyway! Here is paperwork to prepare before the move to assisted living.
Power of Attorney Designations
If your loved one doesn’t have Powers of Attorney (POA) designated yet, now is the time. Not only will the assisted living community ask for this information (and copies of the documents) upon move in, but it is also important that the originals are kept somewhere safe. If your loved one does not have a POA designated for healthcare or for finances, now is the time to encourage them to make that decision. A quick appointment with a lawyer can make designations official; just be sure that the Powers of Attorney know that your loved one has chosen them and that they understand their responsibilities before the designations are made official.
Living Will
A Living Will is a document that lays out your preferences when it comes to medical treatments, should you ever not be able to make those preferences known. It is a wonderful document to have in place along with a healthcare POA designation, as it assures your POA they are advocating for what you want. Work with a lawyer to create a Living Will and then add that original to your loved one’s important papers.
Do Not Resuscitate Orders
This is optional, but if your loved one does not want CPR done on them in case of a cardiac emergency, it is imperative that they complete a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order. This order is typically on bright colored paper and will be added to your loved one’s chart in the assisted living community as well as to their physician. Your loved one can complete this form at the assisted living community or with their doctor.
If your loved one wants CPR, don’t sign this form. There is no right or wrong choice here, and if conditions change, your loved one can always add a DNR order to their chart at a later date.
A Will and/or Living Trust
While you’re emptying out those important documents from the filing cabinet, take some time to review your loved one’s Will and/or Living Trust with them. Double-check the information, as it is common for a document like this to need to be adjusted every 5-10 years. If your loved one needs changes to the document, talk about it with the interested parties and then make an appointment with their lawyer to get it updated.
Keep the updated Will or Trust in a bank safety deposit box or another safe location. You can always make copies as needed.
Insurance Cards and Information
Your new assisted living community will also ask for any information regarding Medicare, Medicaid, and private healthcare or long-term care insurance. Keep the original cards and policies with other important documents so that you know where to retrieve them when it is time to make copies for the new community.
Other Legal Certificates
Finally, it can be helpful to know where documents like your loved one’s birth certificate and marriage certificate are located, as well as any documentation that proves Veteran status, if applicable. While it is not necessary to have these upon a move to assisted living, it can save you trouble in the long run if you already have them with your loved one’s other important papers.
Moving to assisted living can be a great time to get important documents in order, as well as to review ones that might be outdated. To learn about assisted living at Stiles Apartments at The Glen, call (318) 797-6810.