The Foglight on Substack

If you’re heading to the emergency room or hospital, bring more than your insurance card and optimism. This month, I share the surprisingly important items that can make a long ER visit or unexpected hospital admission far more manageable, for both patients and their loved ones.

Now that you’ve identified what you need and the path to hiring, you need to know about caregiver scheduling and cost. This final issue on hiring caregivers brings together the practical details to help you hire the right people.

In This Issue: Once you’ve identified what you need, the next big decision is how to hire the right caregiver—whether through personal connections, an agency, or a registry—and what each path really means for your family.

What’s harder than figuring out taxes? Figuring out what help is needed to keep your 95-year-old parent safe, fed, and happy at home. This issue focuses on the first step: understanding what kind of help is needed and the types of caregivers available.

In the last part of this series on being a health-care proxy, I share three more important questions to ask your loved ones. These questions are designed to clarify values regarding a common medical intervention as well as dementia, so you are better prepared for clarifying conversations that will help you make decisions that truly reflect their wishes.