We know you will care for your special needs family member in whatever way is necessary during your lifetime. But you should think through two very important phases of your family member’s life (childhood and adulthood) to determine who (if anyone) should step in if you are not able to provide care. Nominating people to fill your shoes as a caregiver is a very daunting task but it is important to make the best decision you can at this point and realize you can change your documents at a later time as long as you have capacity to do so. Before completing the following exercise, please take a few minutes to think back on your family member’s life to date.
- Remember when your family member first came into this world or was first diagnosed with a special needs? What did you need to learn about?
- Think about the toddler years and then the first day of school. What did you need to know?
- Think about the last 3-6 months. What is currently going on in your family member’s life?
Now imagine something goes wrong and the people you named need to step in. What do they need to know and how quickly do they need to learn it? Remember you learned all of this information gradually but they would not have this same opportunity. Now that you are thinking about it from the caregiver’s perspective, try to identify the best people for the job.
Note: Make sure to complete the stage entitled Document the Wonder™ to help these individuals know the nuances of your family member with special needs.
First, take five minutes to list everyone you can think of who is caring and compassionate. List them below and then check the names of those people who are currently involved in your child’s life for Childhood and/or Adulthood, then select the Preferred Order.
Always save your content by clicking the ‘Save Progress’ button at the bottom of the page.
