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. [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

Carolyn and Mikol here.   This is a season of so many mixed feelings.  We are happy to have the holidays and at the same time sad about the recent tragedies. We keep being reminded of how fragile life is. We keep seeing sad and sobering events around us, and involving us.  At the same [...]

We’ve been asking ourselves this question. Would Mom be better off in a different community? My mother in law Alice, is now 90.  She lives alone in a 2700 square foot home that she enjoys. It’s in a retirement community with lots of amenities. But, you have to drive everywhere. She is a bit isolated [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Hello, again.  Carolyn and Mikol here.  We came across an article about a shocking case involving a son being stuck with his mother’s nursing home bill.  We wanted to give you a heads-up, as most people would never expect this. Could this happen to you? John Pittas’ mother entered a nursing home for rehabilitation following [...]

Carolyn and Mikol here. We hope all of you are well and that the Moms out there will enjoy your special day.  Happy Mother’s Day to each of you! As for our aging moms, here’s a reminder about a persistent and growing $2.9 billion a year problem. Our aging loved ones are targets.  The thieves [...]

Countries need to think about how fewer young people can continue to support the elderly.

Carolyn and Mikol here. Hey we wanted to reach out to you and invite you to an exciting upcoming Webinar. Get your questions answered related to the financial and emotional cost of getting old or caring for your aging parents. 5 ways your parents’ getting old could cost you a fortune. Click this link to [...]

Please share your stories………

Hello again. Carolyn and Mikol here. We hope you are enjoying the beginning of spring and this time of renewal.  Mikol and I have recently moved our offices to new, brighter and better space and we’re feeling very renewed!  Wouldn’t you agree that there is nothing like disposing of junk and unwanted items to give [...]

Carolyn and Mikol here. We just got in an alert from the The National Legal Resource Center (NLRC) and we wanted to share it with you. Can you believe this?   Professional criminals are now targeting people with diabetes to scam them for personal information. Here’s how it works.  Someone pretending to be from the government, [...]