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I'm elderly, still independent, and don't have children or family to help me. I'm worried about when I can no longer be independent, are there agencies/professionals who step up to make decisions, pay bills, manage funerals, etc.?

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Geriatric care managers! Start exploring their services. You can consult a funeral home and choose your plan as well as pay for it ahead of time. Right now you could call a care agency such as Visiting Angels and sign up. Then when you need help, you already have an account, and you can call the care agency to provide a ride to surgery, care for you afterward, provide someone to keep the house neat, and so on. You can look at continuum of care communities where you start out in independent living, progress to assisted living, memory care and long-term care when you need it. About transportation: look into volunteer agencies that provide rides to doctors' offices, shopping, and recreation for seniors. If there aren't any volunteer agencies, there may be some for profit in your area that you could use. Also, become familiar with Uber and Lyft, which you can pay for rides. Some cities, and mine is one of them, give vouchers for ride services, so that if the ride costs $20, the voucher pays for half and your cost is only $10. Learn about food preparation services. I use Factor X. I order online a week ahead and the prepared meals, never frozen, are delivered once a week. I heat them in the microwave for 2 minutes. They are delicious as well as nutritious. I buy all food and other necessities by ordering online from Amazon and Walmart. They deliver to my door, often within 24 hours. I have no need to enter a grocery store or Walmart.

There are many things you can do to take care of yourself, and the great part is that they are easily arranged ahead of time. There is no need to worry about not having family to help. You can stay independent for quite a while if you really want to, and I hope you'll succeed.
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Reply to Fawnby
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You need to make this arrangement while you are still mentally capable. There are patient advocates who can arrange for your care if you have enough financials to pay. Search aginglifecare.org. You might also face the possibility of running out of money. Then probate will take over and appoint a guardian to set you up in a nursing home. As for a funeral, you can go to just about any funeral home and prepay now. It saves on taxes and you pay today's prices.
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Reply to MACinCT
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This must weigh on you. If you arrive in ER. Generally social workers will assist setting up your care and help. If you are home you could ask to be referred to geriatrics clinic. They will have advice and answers to assist you. This would not be the first time they have seen this.
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Reply to Rose33
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As Geaton suggested, an attorney or accountant can help by representing you, making decisions, and paying bills. You can name a third party professional as your POA, medical representative, and an executor of your estate when you pass.

You might also consult with a Geriatric Care Manager. Search online for such a service in your area. They can help with planning for your anticipated care needs.
I don't know, but they might also be able to connect you to a guardian/representative.
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Reply to CaringWifeAZ
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Consult with an elder law attorney. An attorney can do what you need, also a guardian or conservator.

Also, prepare yourself to move to a continuum of care community before you think you need it so that no one needs to battle you into appropriate care in a crisis. Then you get to pick the place and retain control and guarantee you will always have appropriate level of care.

Lots of us plan for physical impairment but we don't like to think about cognitive impairment. And it sneaks up on you, so that you don't recognize it, or deny having it. It makes getting someone into a facility very onerous.
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Reply to Geaton777
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