"If I could no longer take care of my affairs, would my family know my wishes?"

One of the best things you can do right now for you and your family is get legal, financial and care plans in place. Doing so allows you to participate in making decisions and ensures your family won't be forced to make them for you in a crisis situation. Here are some tips.

Settle legal matters

Seek legal advice and services from your attorney. He or she can help you complete legal documents that outline your wishes.

• Make out a living will that will cover your decisions regarding course of treatment, such as artificial life support.
• Create a living trust that gives instructions for managing your property and names a person to takeover as trustee.
• Prepare a will that designates the person you want to manage your estate and the beneficiaries who will receive it; your will takes effect only after death.
• Name a power of attorney for health care, a person who will make medical decisions for you when you are unable to do so; give a copy to your doctor and other healthcare providers.
• Name a power of attorney, a person who will legally take care of your money matters when you can no longer do it.

Do some financial planning

With the cost of living rising, everyone needs to find ways to make their money last. But this can be difficult when faced with the costs of caring for a long-term illness such as Alzheimer's; the disease can easily leave families bankrupt. That's why it's important to plan now for any financial "what ifs."

• Gather all your financial documents in one place, including household budget and bills; bank and brokerage account information; insurance policies; mortgage papers; Social Security payment information; benefits summaries; and stock and bonds certificates. Share this information with a trusted family member.
• Estimate the care costs you might face now and in the future, such as doctor visits, prescription drugs, personal care supplies, in-home help and full-time residential housing.
• Consider ways to help pay for care expenses, such as personal savings and assets; work, retirement and government benefits; community support; and family help.
• Find out about any available options for long-term care insurance; it is usually impossible to purchase this type of insurance after symptoms of Alzheimer’s appear.
• Seek advice from a professional financial planner or elder law attorney.

Consider services needed and future housing options

There may come a time when you need extra help living in your own home, or you may need to move. To help prepare for your future needs, you may want to:

• Express to your family wishes for continuing to live in your own home; discuss what help you would need to live there safely.
• Talk to your family about where you want to live and with whom when you can no longer live on your own.
• Find out about local housing options, such as retirement communities, assisted living or residential care.
• Gather information about local services, such as in-home help, home-delivered meals and transportation.

Participate in clinical trials

If the diagnosis is Alzheimer's, you may decide to participate in clinical drug trials, which are the final stage of testing newly developed disease treatments. At any given time, dozens of these studies are actively seeking participants.

Benefits to participating include:

• Direct contribution to cutting-edge research
• Potential access to drugs that work as well as or better than currently available therapies
• High standard of care
• Additional medical expertise and follow-up

Joining a study is not a surefire way to get an experimental treatment, since most studies randomly assign participants to receive either the drug or an inactive treatment called a placebo. But many people take comfort in knowing that they’re helping to further Alzheimer research.

Get help from the Alzheimer's Association

Contact the Alzheimer's Association to learn more about Alzheimer's and the support services available, which include:

• Our 24/7 Helpline at 1.800.272.3900 for care consultation, information and referral
• Our Web site www.alz.org, a key resource about Alzheimer’s disease, care and science
• Our message boards, which offer online communities to share experiences and dedicated areas for people with the disease and caregivers
• Group educational sessions and support groups at local offices nationwide
• Informational publications about Alzheimer’s and related dementias