Caring for Parents

Adult day care services can be a lifesaver for stressed caregivers, but seniors often reject this idea for respite. A veteran caregiver shares what NOT to do when pitching a senior center and offers tips for getting a loved one to try it out.

Planning ahead for your elderly parent's long-term care can save the rest of the family both emotional and financial distress. Help your parents avoid financial pitfalls with these 3 financial strategies for planning future care.

Evaluate your elderly parent's ability to age in place by conducting a thorough assessment to determine if they are physically and mentally able to continue living in their own home.

Having a career and being a full-time caregiver creates many obstacles. When an aging parent needs help at home, talk to your employer about options available to you. Local resources may lessen the stress and complication for you as a working caregiver.

Speaking with your parents about their financial future isn’t an easy thing to do. However, a bit of planning and candid conversation will prevent unnecessary complications if someone needs to step in to manage their affairs.

Adult children and their parents are often uncomfortable discussing elder care and financial issues. But proper planning requires those nearing retirement to have honest an dialogue with their offspring.

Placing a parent in a skilled nursing facility is often a distressing decision. Use these tips to move past the guilt and stop second-guessing your long-term care decision.

The death of one parent often exposes the care needs of the surviving spouse. Unfortunately for many adult children, the funeral of one parent becomes a time for planning for the long-term care of the surviving parent.

Caregiver question: Dad can't care for mom alone anymore, but refuses to put her in assisted living. Can adult children intervene when one parent needs more care?

It is not unusual for each elderly parent to have different caregiving needs at different times, and coordinating individual care plans will help with care.

Whether your loved one goes into an assisted living facility willingly or needs some encouragement, adjusting can be a challenge. Work as a team with your family and the staff to promote a smooth and comfortable move.

Regardless of who moves in with whom, living with aging parents is a serious decision that affects family relationships, careers, finances, and the physical and mental health of all members in the household.

We may love our parents because they are family, but that doesn't necessarily mean we like them as people. When caregiving responsibilities fall to you, how do you take care of parents who you don't like?

“Parenting your parent” has become a popular phrase for describing the unique challenges family caregivers experience. The concept seems accurate at first but subscribing to it can affect your ability to infuse respect into the care you provide.

When acting as power of attorney (POA) for a loved one, your signature must make it clear that you are acting on their behalf and not assuming personal responsibility for the contract or transaction.

Many individuals struggle to accept the label of “family caregiver,” but fully embracing this role increases our chances of succeeding in it.

Talking to aging parents about fraud and ways to reduce their risk of falling prey to scammers (especially online) is never an easy discussion. Here are some strategies to help you find common ground.

My father’s stay at the hospice house was brief, but in that short time, I made an extraordinary realization that brought Dad and me closeness and comfort in his final days.

Despite a trend towards a more gender-balanced population of family caregivers, most are still women. When it comes to caring for aging parents, daughters and daughters-in-law provide more hours of help—and suffer the consequences.

A recent survey sheds light on which parent adult children would choose to live with, and why. 76% preferred one parent over the other--who was it?