Caring for a parent with Alzheimer's can be overwhelming. Caregiver stress can develop and you could have trouble attending to you and your parent's needs. To avoid this, you and your family need to create a health care plan for your parent. Ideally, the plan should alleviate some of the stress that is placed on you while taking advantage of available resources. Here are some tips for creating a plan.  

Know Your Parent's Needs

Before you can start to work on a health care plan, you need to consider what needs your parent has. One of the best resources you have available for assessing your parent's day-to-day needs and future needs is his or her doctor. The doctor can help pinpoint any special arrangements that need to be made to ensure your parent's health.  

For instance, your parent's doctor could recommend in-home health care services to help with everything from medication management to therapy. The doctor's referral will likely be needed for insurance approval of the special services, so it is best to involve him or her from the beginning.  

Research Your Options

Once you have a grasp on your parent's needs, you can start to research your available options for meeting them. Many options will require careful planning to take full advantage of and you do not want to wait until they are necessary before pursuing them.  

For instance, if you are planning to use senior healthcare services in the home, you need to have your parent assessed now by the agency you are using. You also need to check with your parent's insurance provider to learn of any limitations to his or her coverage. You will have to make provisions to ensure that your parent's care is possible even if his or her insurance does not cover it.  

Remember Your Own Care

Since you are the primary caregiver for your parent, your health is just as important as his or hers. Therefore, you need to also factor in your own emotional and physical health to your parent's health care plan.  

For instance, you and your family can create a schedule that would allow you to take a break while relatives temporarily take over the care of your parent. Just one day away from your duties could give you the break needed to stay emotionally on track. You also need to explore support organizations for yourself, such as in-person or web-based support groups of families dealing with Alzheimer's.