Our caregivers do so much for us. Our caregivers are a valuable and necessary part of our health care team. Without their help with day-to-day needs, our lives would be so much more difficult. The loss of our Migraine caregiver can be a frightening prospect—a possibility we may be reluctant to address. Failing to plan ahead will be so much worse.
During a migraine attack, our caregivers may
- fetch ice packs, water, and medication
- provide transportation to health care providers
- pick up prescriptions
- care for minor children
- make important phone calls
- screen calls or visitors
- provide meals
- offer emotional comfort and reassurance
Even between migraine attacks, our caregivers may support us by
- providing an income to pay expenses
- providing health insurance
- picking up the slack in housekeeping duties
- advocating for us with others
- taking care of migraine triggering tasks
- lawn care
- cleaning the litter box or pet cage
- cleaning with strong chemicals
- labor-intensive tasks
Measuring the loss of our Migraine caregiver
Without the help provided by our migraine caregivers, important tasks won’t get done. We can hire people to do many of these tasks, but that requires money that may not be available in the event of our caregiver’s death or disability. Even a long-term serious illness can sideline our caregiver, putting us in a difficult situation.
We may lose our caregiver to
- divorce or estrangement
- long-term illness
- disability
- death
Even if we are well-insured and have retirement income, we may be in for a few surprises.
- If our migraine caregiver is retired, there may still be a loss of income. Pensions and Social Security retirement income are often reduced or eliminated upon the beneficiary’s death. At best, survivors may receive only half of their caregiver’s benefits. If this income is needed to cover monthly expenses, our caregiver’s death can place a financial burden on us.
- Even life insurance policy benefits can change as our caregiver ages. Some policies automatically reduce the payable benefits each year after age 65. In such situations, the face value of a generous life insurance policy can quickly disappear.
Discover our options
While we can’t prepare for every possible scenario, we can take steps to reduce the fallout. The Insurance Information Institute offers guidelines to help determine how much insurance we may need. The American Council of Life Insurers also offers several consumer guides to assist in making informed decisions.
Important insurance policies to consider
- health insurance
- life insurance
- long-term disability insurance
- short-term disability insurance
Take inventory of our migraine-related needs
- income protection
- health insurance protection
- child care
- transportation
- lawn care
- auto maintenance
- home repairs
- housekeeping
- meal preparation
- prescription deliver or pickup
- shopping for groceries and other necessities
- urgent care when you are too ill to care for yourself
Don’t wait
Thinking and talking about the potential loss of our Migraine caregiver can provoke anxiety. Avoiding the subject may be tempting, but we can’t afford to ignore it. As difficult as the conversation may be, the consequences of not preparing could be significant. Planning for the loss of our Migraine caregiver is a vital part of good migraine management.