by Joy Loverde
Talking about eldercare issues and planning for old age isn’t easy. Besides, who wants to hash over unpleasant topics when aging parents and other elderly family members seem perfectly fine?
You may have been avoiding talking altogether, afraid that the conversation will be upsetting for you and for them. And you’re right. However, taking the easy road now and avoiding eldercare discussions will eventually backfire when complex problems reveal themselves and the emotional (and financial) stability of the entire family is on shaky ground.
When is the best time to initiate eldercare planning conversations? Right now – while your parents are mentally competent and have the ability to make choices and decisions, and crises aren’t raining down on everyone. You may not realize it now but many of the “eldercare emergencies” you can end up confronting are avoidable by planning ahead.
So start brushing up on your effective communication skills. Taking a deep breath and initiating conversations with your aging parents will not only save you precious time and energy it also may strengthen your family ties with Mom and Dad.
My book, The Complete Eldercare Planner (Random House, 2009, Revised and Updated) is your roadmap through this unfamiliar and often unsettling territory and is an invaluable tool as you begin to create your personalized family caregiving strategies.
Start the process of opening up the dialogue with your aging parents by downloading the “Communicaring Action Checklist” from Chapter Four in The Complete Eldercare Planner: http://www.elderindustry.com/downloads.html
