Caring for Aging Parents and Seniors/Elderly Family Members

We (the HT Health Ministry) felt that it would be important to provide information about advance health care planning in our current COVID-19 environment, as many of you might be thinking about how much medical treatment your loved one might want if they develop COVID-19 and are unable to make health care decisions themselves.

Click here for information on the Oregon Advance Directive and POLST documents as well as additional resources you can access.

• Washington County Crisis Line — 503.291.9111

• Multnomah County Crisis Line — 503.988.4388 or 1.800.716.9769

• Aging & Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) — 1.855.673.2372

• Senior Loneliness Line — 503.200.1633

• Senior Connection Calls by the Oregon Senior Peer Outreach — 1.833.736.4676

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) — 1.800.950.6264

• Hospice and Grief Support Group at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center — 503.215.4622

Check out these resources for caregivers, which were listed at the end of the article "4 Tips for Only-Child Caregivers" (Paul Wynn, April/May 2020):
 

• AARP: 877-333-5885

• Aging Life Care Association: 520-881-8008

• ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center: 703-256-2084

• Eldercare Locator: 800-677-1116

• Family Caregiver Alliance: 800-445-8106

• Parenting Our Parents: 310-275-7554

• Senior Corps: 800-942-2677

• US Administration on Aging: 800-677-1116

• US Department of Labor: 866-487-9243

Choosing the right assisted living community for your loved one(s) can be a difficult challenge. Below are a few articles selected by our Health Ministry team that provide tips, advice, and information on making such important decisions.

• Five Steps for Choosing the Right Assisted Living Community (Penelope Wang, Consumer Reports, October 2018)

• When to Move from Independent Living to Assisted Living (Elaine Howley, U.S. News, August 2019)

• 11 Ways to Afford the Assisted Living Care You Need (Tobie Stanger, Consumer Reports, August 2017)

• Assisted Living Facilities: Weighing the Options (AARP, updated October 2019)