Take pressure out of life for the sandwiched generations.
Many people experience similar struggles as parents reach their elder-years. It can come on very quickly. One day they are doing everything for themselves and the next day they need help with everything. This might include doctor’s appointments and bill paying. They may need help making a plan about where they should live, how they could get around if they stopped driving, and what activities to continue doing and what to give up. They may need help and input on a lot of decisions. In some cases these changes may come on more gradually. Either way, parents need their children’s help as they approach the final chapters of their life.
The hardest and most time consuming part often is collecting all the information needed by children who take on this new role. This could mean digging through file cabinets and making lists of all the doctors, bank accounts, credit cards, insurance policies, lawyers, tax accountants, magazine subscriptions, even organizations receiving charitable donations. Even if the information starts out in one place, it often needs to be accessible by multiple people working together to take care of Mom or Dad. For siblings to share the responsibilities, it helps to convert all the information to a digital repository that makes access to and updates of the information easier to manage.
Without the aid of modern technologies, many people faced with the responsibilities of care for their elders quit their job during the prime income earning phase of their own life. Setting up a system that makes the job easier to manage is key to keeping people in the workforce, despite this common life challenge.
Digital technology makes it easier to set up records to gather and manage the types of information needed by a designated daughter or selected son.
Direct Secure Messaging makes sharing medical information possible via an email-like solution that simplifies communication but encrypts information in transit to keep it safe. It allows people to do so much more without being present for every appointment or meeting. The information needed to manage care can be sent and received without you having to physically be present at appointments.
