Talking to your aging parents ...starts with your own planning!

With the new year, everyone is looking to do better and plan better for the future.  This can also apply in how you address some of the more difficult issues you might face with aging parents.  Having the discussion about what they want, how to handle any crisis that might happen, finances and living wills are something we put off and often never talk about until we are forced to by a hospitalization or health emergency.  I encourage each of you to think about these issues in terms of your own health and well being.  What do you want to happen if you can no longer take care of yourself?  Who do you want to handle financial and medical decisions for you if you can not .  Have you looked at doing a living will?  Once you have started the process for yourself it will help you understand the complexity, emotionality and difficulty when you are asking your parents the same questions.  Letting them know you have started the process for yourself and sharing your feelings with them will help them open up and start the conversation.  Having the conversation before you are forced to allows for a calmer discussion.  Share articles, read books, talk about fears and issues....it will make your relationship with your parents stronger and allow you to have the insight when you have to act in their behalf.  In future blogs I will be sharing articles, book reviews and information about issues that affect caregivers and seniors.  Please feel free to email me questions and I will be glad to share resources and information.