It goes without saying that the people I have known all my life are my parents. As I write this, I am a 52 year old with two parents who are both in their seventies. My mom recently had a bout with cancer and it made me start to think that my mom will someday not be with us. Dad's time will come too. Its an inevitable situation that we all have to deal with at some point in life.
A good friend shared with me a book summary called "The Parent Care Conversation." by Dan Taylor. The book summary covers six strategies for dealing with the emotional and financial challenges of aging parents. This often difficult topic offers a choice of you either being proactive and work with your parents or be reactive when the times comes to deal with their care and passing.
The first step is always the toughest. The parents need to share with you their feelings and wishes about their care and passing. This conversation will hopefully reveal your parents vision of their care and passing, their financial needs and wants, and their wishes for the property and possessions they have at the time of their death. The talk should also include what professional care they might want or need at any point in the process.
Dan Taylor outlines his CARE system which stands for challenges, alternatives, resources, and experience. Its a process of listening and asking the right questions so you can understand and articulate their wishes. From there, you can explore the alternatives and resources available to you to hopefully provide the experience our parents would like to have.
I highly recommend you read this book. Its a great way in getting you to start the talk with your parents. Being proactive is a far better approach than being reactive when emotions are running high. Hopefully, with open communication you will be the needed advocate for your parents when they need it the most.
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