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Checklist for Family Members of Someone with Alzheimer’s Disease in the Orlando, Florida Area

As Alzheimer’s Disease and other memory loss conditions progress, patients are unable to manage family and business decisions. If you have a loved one with Alzheimer’s Disease, you may be learning this. 

Managing Your Loved One’s Affairs

When your loved one can no longer manage their family and their business affairs, you may be overwhelmed or start becoming overwhelmed helping manage their affairs. You may have a feeling of not knowing what to do. You know there is lots of work to do, and taking care of your loved one is a big task. 

This checklist may help alleviate some stress. The checklist may help you as a caregiver to organize the family matters in order to assist you with being a caregiver and help your loved one at the same time. It may give you a starting point if you are caring or beginning to care for a loved one who has been diagnosed by a physician or other medical personnel with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Legal Matters

Regarding LEGAL MATTERS, you can contact an attorney about the following:

• Financial Planning
• Trust funds
• Revocable trusts
• Will (Is it current, and what is the location of it?)
• Advance Directives
• Durable Power of Attorney
• Guardianship

Family Matters

Regarding FAMILY MATTERS, someone must take charge of the following:

• Bills, such as electric/gas bill, water bill, and car payments
• Medicine (What dosage, and where is the medicine located?)
• Grocery shopping and cooking
• Cleaning, such as laundry, house, and yard work
• Location of the security box or safe and the location and key or combination
• Real estate (location of property and deeds, and knowing the co-owners of real property if any)
• Bank matters and bank accounts
  • Where are they located and at what bank location? 
  • Is there a safety deposit box, and where are the keys? 
  • Are there co-signers of accounts, and how are accounts titled? 
  • Is there a checking account, a savings account, a money market, an  IRA, a CD?
• Social Security check (Is it direct deposited, and to which account? Do you need a change of representative payee? If under 65, you need to apply for social security disability.)

Insurance

Regarding INSURANCE- you need to know the following:

• The policy schedule as to when the bill is due and how is it billed: yearly, semi-annually, biannually, monthly
• The location of the policies and the agent for the following insurance: house (homeowner’s insurance), life insurance, medical/health insurance; long term care insurance; veterans medical, Medicare, theft, disability insurance, and Medicaid. 

Supervision of a Loved One

Regarding SUPERVISION OF A LOVED ONE, you will need to consider the following:

• Is it safe for them to continue driving a vehicle? 
• You will need an identity bracelet/necklace for someone who wanders due to Alzheimer’s, along with safety locks on doors and a fenced yard. 

This is a helpful list of reminders to assist you. If you have more questions regarding a Marital and Family Law matter, you may call Ann Marie Giordano Gilden at Ann Marie Giordano Gilden, P.A. at 407-732-7620 and set an initial consultation. 

This article is for informational purposes only and does not form an attorney client privilege.