Pass 35

Now our love ones have pass 35 yrs old.

If only we could have had a crystal ball to glimpse into the future, or a plan for what will come to be from the first day our child was diagnosed. If we could send a message back to ourselves in the past would the outcome of where they are today have changed? Would you have done anything differently, and would it have made a significant difference? Truly there is no way to turn back the clock. Not to sound too ominous, but at this stage we are “preparing for the end”.

At this stage some parents will say “what will be will be, we just live one day at a time” Yes, but some other parents will say “There are things I can start doing today. Where do I start?” This session is for the parents who choose the latter. The proactive parents who know it’s never too late for progress, and there’s always more that can be done for our children. Now is the time for yet another difficult question: What will happen to my child after I pass, especially if they are special needs? We will be discussing four areas of prep we as parents can do for our adult children:

Housing, Finances, Support Team, and Work/Leisure

There are government supports, and we as proactive parents will always want to do the most to “help” our children to connect with those supports. We want to find other ways we personally can set them up for success after we are gone. It is important to find the right support structure to ensure our adult children feel independent and valued.

For parents that are fortunate enough to have the financial means, setting up a will, trust fund, or micro board might be doable. For parents who do not have the means, getting our children ready by researching and bridging them with a government body, siblings, extended family, or community might be the first step.

Another important step is communicating with your child about the inevitability of death in a way that they can understand, and the reality that you might not always be there to take care of them. They may have the disability support they need, but is there support in place for their emotional wellbeing? You may have a will in place, but do you have a plan for how it will be executed? If you have a larger family this may not be an issue, but if you just have an intellectually hindered child they will find themselves completely unprepared for the mountain of expenses and paperwork that comes hand in hand with death, as well as philosophical questions we all ponder. How do we approach this with our children?

In this webinar, we will be sharing the different models on the four aspects of needs. By focusing on a need based approach we will plan according to the unique circumstances of our children. Because of the individuality of each person's resources and the needs of our adult children this course will be very much a learn and tell session where participants will come together to share their resources and help inspire each other.

We will help you find support in your own community to create a community structure for your child you can feel confident about, and they can feel comfortable with. What will be will be, but what we do with what we are given is up to us, and it’s never too late to work toward a goal. We know you have been through a lot at this stage, and we are not here to play judge, but to discuss new ideas, share experiences and expertise. We hope that by this stage we will be willing to work together to empower others who have walked a path similar to yours, and you can enrich the community by sharing your story with parents who are just taking their first steps on the long road.