Friday Five: Long-Term Planning and Family Caregiving

The Friday Five is our weekly roundup of links to smart articles and helpful resources across the Web.

1. We highly recommend you take the time to read this article, "Still no relief in sight for long-term needs," from the New York Times, and then you sit down with your spouse, your children, your loved ones and talk about potential long-term care needs.

2. This is a very insightful and personal blog post on kevinmd.com by a cardiologist and blogger. "Aggressive care at the end of life continues to grow" asks us to question how medicine treats the elderly and the need to face the issue of dying and death. Death is an inevitability, but as we grow older, many of us will be able to choose how to approach death when the time nears.

3. Checklists can be very helpful when you're in an unfamiliar meeting trying to gather information. Family caregivers looking at assisted living options will appreciate this List of Financial Questions to ask when visiting a facility, from the National Caregivers Library.

4. We always remind family caregivers to take care of themselves, and to not be afraid of asking for help. Organize your caregiving team through the Lotsa Helping Hands website, a caregiving coordination service. Utilize the calendar to schedule who's who of caregiving tasks, and share photos and updates with out-of-town family and friends about how your loved one is doing.

5. This is an interesting map from AARP to represent the economic value of family caregivers. Our response? Family caregivers are invaluable!