My mother, who is now in memory care due to Alzheimer's, knew long ago what was in store for her (her mother and one of her sisters also had it) and planned accordingly long ago. She has a simple but comprehensive will...and most importantly at the moment, two powers of attorney that give the designee (me, in this case) control over both her medical/daily living decisions and her financial decisions. The weeks surrounding the day the doctor activated her power of attorney were hectic, but far easier than they would have been without her prior planning.

She'd also made my sister and I co-owners on her bank account, so we had no difficulty accessing money for her care in the short term.