By Carolyn L. Rosenblatt, R.N., B.S.N., Attorney When it comes to elders, most of us don’t think of romance. For some reason, our culture seems to entirely dismiss the concept that older people, divorced or widowed, might fall in love again. But they do. Ask anyone who works in a senior community, assisted living, or [...]

Dear AgingParents Family: Carolyn and Mikol here, wishing each of you moms and your moms a happy Mother’s Day. We are fortunate to have a mom to wish good things to on this day.  Mikol’s Mom, Alice, is still doing very well at age 90.  She inspires us all in the way she takes good [...]

“How To Help A Dangerous Older Driver Give Up The Keys For Good”                                                          There comes a time in every elder’s life that driving is no longer safe for anyone on the road. Whether you’ve already had “the talk” – which may not have gone as planned – or, are just starting to approach this [...]

First, we do have to put ourselves first sometimes.  What’s best for us, best for our own families and our own peace of mind must be a serious consideration.  Sacrificing our sanity for the sake of caregiving is not the best choice. Delegate and find others to help if having too much of the caregiver [...]

Howard, 92, loves women.  He has dementia and is legally blind.  He likes to give women checks when they tell him their sob stories about needing money.  He has one daughter, Missy, who is aghast at his conduct. After her mother died, Missy felt obligated to try to keep Dad from throwing away all his money. [...]

When Nice Aging Parents Start Behaving Badly We’re hearing from a lot of new caregivers lately.  Their parents are in their 80′s and 90′s usually.  The parent was doing fairly well for a time. Then things began to change. Suddenly, the parent has an outburst. A person who never said a bad word curses at [...]

Have you had to deal with this? Some families are being torn apart about disagreements over finances, care, aging parents and each other’s roles. It often looks like this: Imagine that you have an aging loved one who has cognitive impairment.  You are aware that your loved one is “slipping”.  You tell yourself it’s ok. [...]

Thoughts On Turning 65   65! Yikes!  Isn’t that when you’re OLD? I looked in the mirror and I didn’t see an old person, so maybe it’s a myth.   I definitely didn’t see a young person though. I had lunch with my daughter and she asked me if I feel 65. I said, “yes and [...]

In a small county in central California, an 86 year old retired firefighter was sentenced to two days in jail and probation for assisting his wife to commit suicide. The Tribune News in San Luis Obispo reported the story with little detail, but did report that George Taylor was convicted of aiding and abetting the [...]

“How To Help A Dangerous Older Driver Give Up The Keys For Good” There comes a time in every elder’s life that driving is no longer safe for anyone on the road. Whether you’ve already had “the talk” – which may not have gone as planned – or, are just starting to approach this subject [...]

Some of our Congressional leaders are vehement about it.  Some disagree.  Everyone seems to get that we need to fix our debt problem by reducing government spending on something. But what? For those who are extremists about cutting government spending on Medicare, consider this: we taxpayers are getting ripped off by the Medicare program.  To [...]

Sometimes, there’s just no substitute for a face to face visit.  Adult children may be getting a wake-up call this season when  you visit aging parents.  Little things you can’t learn in a phone call can come to light. Their health may be a concern because you see visible changes on your visit, such as [...]

Aging Parent Crisis – How To Cope Aging parents are living longer than ever and it creates a new need for their adult children: you have to know what to do with the many crises that come up. As our aging parents reach their 80′s and 90′s or beyond, we are going to be faced [...]

Mikol’s Mom, Alice is turning 90 this month.   She’s been widowed for four years. She gets lonely. Where does a woman at this age meet a guy? There are not so many single men around at her age, and she was telling us about her frustration with that. We thought Alice ought to give online [...]

Aging Parent Crisis – How To Cope Aging parents are living longer than ever and it creates a new need for their adult children: you have to know what to do with the many crises that come up. As our aging parents reach their 80′s and 90′s or beyond, we are going to be faced [...]

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The political battle on health care reform rages on. But the debate totally misses some important features of the Affordable Care Act that directly affect elders. Maybe people who oppose the Supreme Court decision don’t want to look as if they are against elders so they avoid discussing a number of the real benefits to [...]

Are You on the Hook for Mom’s Nursing-Home Bill? •    By KELLY GREENE, Wall Street Journal Thought you were immune from your parents’ debts? Not so fast. Twenty-nine states have “filial support” laws that could be used to go after patients’ adult children for unpaid long-term-care bills. In at least one of those states, Pennsylvania, [...]

That little pang of sadness on Father’s Day is back. I feel it quietly, when my husband is opening his cards and we get together with our kids.  I don’t have anyone to send a card to today and no one to call on the phone to wish him a happy day, the way I [...]

We’ve got a new webinar to share with you!  This is a subject that brings up a lot of fear for those with aging parents who don’t plan ahead or won’t talk about money with you.  We’ll help you see how to avoid the pitfalls others have fallen into before you get there.  One man [...]