Planning

Take Control of Your Future

Ask Heather: Aging Matters

To check out previous installments, please visit: ipmdc.org/ask-heather/

In this installment, Heather offers a powerful look into what it truly means to live well with complex diagnoses like dementia and Parkinson’s. She explains how thoughtful care coordination, strong community connections, and clear communication across medical and home-care teams can make the difference between simply managing a diagnosis and truly thriving. Heather also highlights the importance of advocacy, planning for the future, and leveraging local resources that support not only individuals, but the families walking alongside them. Below, is the full transcript from the above video discussion.

Ask Heather Episode 2

My name is Heather Suri and I own an aging life care management practice called Pathways and Aging here in Northern Virginia. We also serve the greater Seattle area. We’ve been in practice eight years now and have a group practice. We serve older adults and their families, whether that’s family of origin or family of choice. We serve as professional advocates, as expert medical care coordinators. We help folks build teams and intervene in times of crisis; and probably most importantly, plan for the future.

It Takes a Team: Community Support for Dementia & Parkinson’s

So in talking about complicated diagnoses like dementia or Parkinson’s,… Pathways in Aging, we have a huge passion for the neurodegenerative diseases and we do a lot of continuing education and a lot of connection with community resources of support for folks living with these diagn—diagnosis. And I want to emphasize not people who are suffering from these diseases or struggling with these diseases but living with these diseases because they’re living, they’re here, their families are here. And I think that sometimes in the medical system we can get really caught up in what we can and can’t fix and not how to to really continue to thrive and and access the supports in the community that help us thrive with these diagnoses.

So, yes, we can help you find the best neurologist in the area. We are up to date on current treatments. We can help you navigate that treatment side very nimbly. That’s an area of expertise for us. But I’m also interested in, you know, opportunities for social support. In Northern Virginia, we have an Insight Memory Care Center. We have other county-based day centers. We have the Inova Parkinson’s and Movement Disorder Center that runs over a hundred free programs a month in person and virtually that help people thrive. We’re talking about exercise, education, and support.

Working with a home care company or working with a companion company can help people access parts of their life that have maybe felt more limited with the impact of their diagnosis. But we’re very interested at Pathways in helping people live well and are well networked in the community with a variety of ways to do that.

Why Safe and Secure Transition Home Care?

So, Safe and Secure Transitions is one of the home care companies that we refer to most often because of the quality of the work. You know, it’s the level of communication that we get from the caregivers is something that families and care managers value greatly. If we don’t know what’s happening, it’s hard for us to make impactful recommendations. And so when you have a home care team that is the boots on the ground, the eyes and the ears that can keep that communication flowing back and forth, it actually saves families money from a care management standpoint because we’re not chasing the information or trying things that aren’t going to work because we’ve got this really detailed high quality information and communication coming.

And I think that they hire very selectively. The caliber of the caregivers that we see working with Safe and Secure is impressive. And as I mentioned previously that oversight piece is there. You know, I think the caregivers in my experience feel very supported. They know that the office has their back. They know that the office believes in them. They know the office is respectful of their professional talents and treats them like the professionals they are. And so all of that together makes for a really elevated experience that is certainly different than the run-of-the-mill.

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Planning with Purpose: Financial and Legal Readiness for Chronic Neuro Conditions

Resources for Legal Planning

• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Inc. (NAELA)
• Virginia Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (VAELA)

Important Paperwork to Keep Updated for Emergencies

• Updated Medication List (available at ipmdc.org/hospital)
• Power of Attorney (electronic copy too!)
• Advance Directive
  (see inova.org/patient-and-visitor-information/advance-directives-and-making-end-life-decisions)
• DNR/POLST form (see virginiapolst.org)
  Click here to download the form.
• Virginia DDNR- Durable Do Not Resuscitate Order
  vdh.virginia.gov/emergency-medical-services/other-ems-programs-and-links/durable-do-not-resuscitate-program/
• IPMDC’s patient care handout (ipmdc.org/hospital)
• Medical and surgical history (available at ipmdc.org/hospital)
• List of medical providers/specialists
• List of financial accounts and insurance products
• List of passwords

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Additional resources

Virginia Advance Directive Registry vhi.org/ConnectVirginia/adr.asp
The Virginia registry is free. Virginia is very active in promoting Medical Advanced Planning and the Virginia Registry sends its members a wallet card and the website can be accessed nationally.