How products get quickly from where they are made or stored to my doorstep is called logistics. Getting Mom or Dad around is called Mom Logistics. The Council of Supply Chain Management (CSCMP) defines logistics as:
that part … of management that plans, implements, and controls efficient, effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services, and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customers’ requirements. Logistics management activities typically include inbound and outbound transportation management, fleet management, warehousing, materials handling, order fulfillment, logistics network design, inventory management, supply/demand planning, and management of third-party logistics services providers.”
The Council of Supply Chain Management (CSCMP)
I can order groceries and have them delivered in two hours. I can buy something made in California and have it delivered to my house in Tennessee in two days, sometimes the same day. So why is getting Mom or Dad to the Doctor so hard? In other words, why are Mom Logitocs so difficult?
Managing Mom’s Health Care Logisitics
Carmen and I spent years helping our parents navigate and meet their doctor’s appointments, hospitalizations, institutionalizations, in-home medical appointments and physical therapy appointments. Our list of appointments, calls about appointments and transportation to those appointments numbers in the thousands.
As Carmen and I were creating CarePlanIt we realized that the way we were managing parent logistics was haphazard and inefficient. When we first asked family members to help, some said yes, others no. We quickly learned that everyone wanted to help, but not on our terms. They wanted to help on their terms.
Right Way To Ask Family For Help
Carmen and I discovered that most family members want to help and are happy to help if it’s on their terms.
The quickest and easiest “ask” that people seemed to respond to was:
Friends and neighbors were also willing to help, but they had busy lives. We heard things from friends like, “Tell us what and when and we’ll check our schedule.” We didn’t have things organized and said we’d get back to them. Because we were always behind in scheduling and knowing what we could and couldn’t do with our own resources, we rarely were able to take friends and neighbors up on their offers of assistance.
Wrong Way To As Family For Help
But if Carmen or I asked a family member to help in the wrong way, family members would shut down. The wrong way included things like:
Not every family member considered these questions or requests the “wrong way.” But enough did to make us rethink how people ought to gather their family and friends for help.
This was occurring in a world where online tools were both abundant and free. But we were working with notebooks and spreadsheets. It was a terrible way to organize what often amounted to years of organizing efforts.
CarePlanIt’s Approach To Mom Logistics
CarePlanIt classifies every issue into one of five key areas: health, housing, finances, end of life chores & family communication. Once done, the CarePlanIt framework allows you to create an optimized process of addressing the challenge. You minimize your family’s time and costs while maximizing your chance at reaching an ideal solution. Although all five categories work together, it’s important to make an initial categorization.
Mom logistics is a “Finance” and “Family Communication” issue. If you have unlimited money, caregivers can be hired to drive you to medical-related appointments and keep your health appointment calendar. Most of us don’t have these finances available. We rely on family. The senior, their spouse and the entire family need to understand what logistics involve and how to participate efficiently.
We can help you navigate issues relating to getting help from family and friends. Review our Sections on Finance and Family Communication.
Quick Mom Logistic Ideas
> Get Mom and Dad using transportation early, while they can still drive, when they are relatively healthy
> Use free online shared calendar resources
– Slack (with a shared login)
> Identify all senior ride programs
> Check with faith-based organizations to understand their ride and senior outreach programs