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Is It Time To Be Concerned?

December 12th, 2008

Singing Christmas carols, lighting Hanukkah candles, roasting chestnuts by a roaring fire – things most of us will be doing in the next few weeks. This is also the time of year when we see parents and other aging loved ones that we may not see the rest of the year. You may be surprised they have aged (I know I\’m surprised every morning when I look in the mirror!!) but that doesn\’t necessarily indicate a reason for concern. On the other hand, regardless of how often you talk by phone throughout the year, seeing a loved one in person can tell you a lot more than phone calls alone... Read More

2nd (Non-Financial) Tip to Saving the Family Fortune

November 12th, 2008

In last month’s article, “7 (Non-Financial) Tips to Saving the Family Fortune” we looked at what family fortune means to you and your family. Understanding this is important because when families get involved with caregiving and difficult decisions need to be made, all kinds of sibling issues can come up from who should bear the day to day caregiving responsibilities to how much money should be spent to “mom loved you more than she loved me”! When difficult decisions need to be made, if you don’t look at the big picture, you may lose the most precious family fortune of all – the... Read More

7 (Non-Financial) Tips to Saving the Family Fortune

October 14th, 2008

How do you define “family fortune”? Most people say money but that\’s not the only thing you\’re “rich” in. “Family fortune” can mean anything from collections such as spoons and stamps to photographs, written material (bible, poems, diaries, letters), documents or records (marriage certificates, awards, military discharge papers), handmade items (quilts, needlework), antiques/art, jewelry, even every day items like kitchen utensils. “Family fortune” can also mean family relationships, family history/memories/traditions, the family reputation/privacy (family “secrets”)... Read More

BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL

September 12th, 2008

September . . . the start of a new year! Sure, I know people think January 1st is the start of the new year but September and a new school year always marked a fresh new beginning for me. I loved going back to school . . . . Seeing old friends; meeting new ones; new classes; new teachers; all the extra curricular activities; and all new supplies!!! When I started working, I felt the “new school year” excitement at work, too. Everyone back from vacation and everything hurdling toward the end of the year. But for your aging loved one, September can be a very difficult time. During the... Read More

Emergency Planning For the Elderly with Pets

August 11th, 2008

As I said last month, emergency evacuations are devastating and traumatic under any circumstances. This is especially true for the elderly – especially the elderly with pets. Last month I wrote about planning for major emergencies such as 9/11, Katrina, wild fires, floods, or tornado\’s. This month I\’m going to cover a far more likely scenario – a personal emergency such as a medical emergency wherein your elderly loved one needs someone to take care of their pet for the short or long term. We\’ve all heard of stories about an elderly person who won\’t leave their... Read More

Vacation . . . Should You Take Mom?

June 16th, 2008

Janice writes . . . My mother lives near me and my husband and demands my constant attention. No matter where I am or what I\’m doing she drops in to my house or calls. Last summer my husband and I took my 2 daughters and 2 grandchildren to Disneyworld for a week. I really didn\’t think it would be something my mother would enjoy since she hates noise and crowds and is never too happy to be out of her recliner and frankly, I needed the vacation from her! But when I told her about our trip, she absolutely insisted on going. When I said no, she started in on my husband and my daughters.... Read More

May is “Older American\’s Month”

May 13th, 2008

Yup . . . it\’s true! May is “Older American\’s Month”. To give you an idea of how powerful we are as a group – we don\’t just get a day . . . we get a whole month! Impressive! What are you doing to celebrate our month? I was recently told that, as a Baby Boomer, I\’m considered an “older American”. Which is kind of funny because when I think of an “older American”, I think of my mother\’s generation, not mine! Especially because I don\’t really feel “old”. I feel mature and grown up and wise – but not old. In fact, I still see myself... Read More

Basic Eldercare Realities

April 14th, 2008

If you\’ve been reading my past columns, you know that I always say that for the best results, talk early and often with your aging loved so you can resolve your eldercare issues by choice, not crisis. The earlier you start talking, the easier it is to get plans in place. The better the planning, the easier it will be for them and you in the long term. Before you begin to have your conversations with your aging loved one, however, there are some very important basic realities to keep in mind. Remembering these basic realities will help you have conversations that produce more than stress... Read More

Organizing Yourself for the “Eldercare Stage”

March 11th, 2008

It\’s virtually impossible to accurately predict the extent or length of the commitment to eldercare but for many caregivers, it\’s a lot longer than they ever imagined. In fact, in last month\’s column, I mentioned an interview with Roberta Satow for my Expert Interview Series (http://agewiseliving.com/shop-expert_interviews.htm), in which she talks about caregiving as “a stage of life”. She explains that, unlike our parents who provided care for their parents for an average of 1-5 years, our own parents are living a lot longer now. So that means we could be facing... Read More

WHO LOVES YOU?

February 15th, 2008

I was in a card store and a woman standing next to me was buying a huge stack of Valentine\’s Day cards. I watched for a while as she picked a bunch of cards for friends, as well as cards for her husband, her mother, her father, her mother-in-law, her father-in-law, her children, her grandchildren, and her grandchildren\’s teachers – and those were just the ones she picked after I started watching!! I said to her “I hope you\’re going to get lots of cards, too” and she said “Nah, I\’m too old for that!” I thought “how sad – too... Read More