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Facing the financial reality of long-term caregiving
Becoming the caregiver for a family member with a disability rarely arrives with a financial plan attached. Sometimes it starts suddenly, after an accident or a medical event, and sometimes it becomes clear gradually, through a diagnosis in early childhood or a condition that develops over time. Either way, most families are handling the emotional weight of the situation long before anyone sits down to think through what it actually costs, and that ordering is exactly backwards from how a financial plan works best: costs like therapy and equipment start accruing immediately, while the emotional adjustment can take months or years, so waiting for the emotional side to settle before planning financially usually means planning starts far too late.