What is Counseling on Aging?
What is counseling on aging? Counseling on aging holds different meanings depending on whether you are an aging adult planning for or managing your care, a caregiver of an elderly parent, a spouse or another family member, or a group or corporation seeking information.
Pamela D Wilson, caregiving expert, offers 30 and 60-minute 1:1 virtual counseling on aging sessions to help individuals and families work through simple and complex care situations, healthcare decisions, cost of care, legal, planning, and family discussions.
More than twenty years of experience as a care manager, court-appointed guardian and conservator, power of attorney, personal representative of the state, and trustee form the foundation for Pamela’s expertise as a trusted advisor.
Scroll below to learn more about Pamela’s expertise and topics for discussion and to submit a request for a consultation.
Click on the red button in the photo below to watch Pamela’s video about the most common concerns of family caregivers.
You can watch more videos on Pamela’s YouTube channel about aging, caregiving, and health, financial, and legal planning for care.
A Testimonial for Pamela
“Solutions offered by well-meaning ones are often empty and unrealistic. You have hit the nail on the head. Thank you. I can tell you have been through all of these things. Your advice I value. Others who just shoot from the hip . . . not so much.”
Aging and Unexpected Health Conditions Benefit from Planning Discussions
Many adults dream of a retirement filled with social activities, time with friends and family, travel, and other wishes. For many, chronic health and unexpected circumstances take these dreams off track. A spouse becomes a caregiver for a spouse, and adult children become caregivers for aging parents.
Due to unexpected situations, these care relationships happen quickly. There is usually no discussion or planning for the “what ifs” or “what matters.” Pamela D Wilson helps individuals and families understand the complexities of caregiving and plan for the future.
A counseling on aging session with Pamela helps aging adults identify goals to remain independent, manage health concerns, pay for care costs, identify caregivers or legal advocates, and create a plan to ensure their wishes can be implemented.
Family caregivers receive support with similar plans to navigate health, financial and legal aspects, and family relationships related to caring for aging parents and loved ones. It’s never too early to start planning.
For adults and caregivers, counseling on aging means speaking with Pamela D Wilson, eldercare expert on a variety of topics:
- Complete a needs assessment for daily care today and in the future.
- Plan for yourself, the care of a spouse, aging parents, disabled children, or another family member.
- Identify resources and available support systems to promote independence, create a care plan, and consolidate important information and records in one place.
- Navigate healthcare decisions and healthcare systems, including working with doctors, health systems, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation, in-home care, hospice, and more.
- Navigate being a guardian, conservator, power of attorney agent, personal representative of the estate, or trustee for a family member and decide whether you should accept these roles. If you appoint a person for one of these roles, learn what you should know to ensure your wishes are carried out, plus how to create a plan to address potential misuse of power or neglect of your needs by your agent.
- Advocate for a loved one who might be subjected to guardian, conservator, or power of attorney abuse or neglect.
- Discuss the financial aspects of planning and paying for care costs, including how Medicare, Medicaid, and long-term care insurance work and other options to pay for care.
- Make decisions and plans to stay at home, hire and manage in-home caregivers, or move to a care community, including what you must know about services, contracts, and working arrangements.
- Manage family relationships and initiate care discussions with spouses, adult children, and other family members to avoid conflict or disagreements in the future.
- Plan for a spouse’s care, including how you will care for yourself if the sick spouse passes away first.
- Gain confidence that you have a plan in place to manage unexpected situations.
As a caregiving expert and eldercare consultant, Pamela D Wilson has helped families and aging adults manage senior care concerns for over twenty years. Her experience in counseling on aging situations gives aging adults and caregivers peace of mind to plan and make thoughtful care decisions.
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Work With a Counseling on Aging Professional
When considering hiring a counseling on aging professional, it is essential to make sure that the person you choose to work with has unique and in-depth experience with the issues you or your family face. While many aging adults and caregivers believe they can “do it themselves”, becoming a caregiver and managing aging concerns covers a vast territory. For example:
- Do you consider yourself an expert navigating the healthcare system and insurance issues?
- Are you aware of all of the financial costs related to care and the fact that Medicare doesn’t pay for everything?
- What is your confidence level in asking doctors and other medical professionals for information and advocating for your needs if you don’t feel you are receiving the care you deserve?
- Do you fully understand your health diagnosis, the medications you are taking, and what you should be doing day to day to preserve your health instead of having more health concerns?
- Are you aware of why aging adults are forced to move to a nursing home?
- Have you designated a legal representative to serve as a power of attorney when you need help making decisions?
- What happens if you receive a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia? Who will care for you and how? Do you have someone you trust?
- Have you talked about care needs in your family and with your spouse? What happens if you pass away before your husband or wife?
Ask the counseling on aging professional you are considering specific questions about her or his qualifications. Most professionals will schedule a brief ten or 15-minute telephone call to discuss their qualifications and confirm that they can assist you during a counseling on aging appointment.
Ask questions about time spent working in the industry, professional degrees and affiliations, and experience working in specific situations. There are many self-professed caregiving experts or counselors who don’t have actual experience—but instead only book smarts or family experience.
Professionals working in the industry with experience with hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living and memory care communities, home health, hospice, palliative care, and other services can offer valuable information. Pamela managed care and acted as a professional fiduciary for eleven years making important decisions with and for clients. This experience is rare and offers support for family members and aging adults who find themselves in similar situations.
Aging and caregiving are broad topics that benefit from understanding the options so that you remain in control of your decisions. While many adults postpone planning for care, an emergency or unexpected situation often results in the necessity of planning. Plan today instead of waiting for the unexpected tomorrow.
Plan Ahead Instead of Planning in Crises
If you have attempted to talk about aging and caregiving concerns with your adult children, spouse, or aging parents, Pamela can ease the conversation. If you are curious how Pamela talks about difficult topics, watch videos on her YouTube channel or listen to her podcast, The Caring Generation®. Her caring nature shines through in all of her interactions.
Rather than being caught surprised or unprepared, schedule a counseling on aging appointment with Pamela D Wilson today.
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