...Dear PF: Distance makes keeping track of your parents’ health harder, but barring dementia, they get to choose where they live. Remember that they likely understand that eventually, they’ll need assistance. Before discussing your worries Read more →

Dear WR: This is a good question. Currently, the term for people who are aging without a competent partner or adult children is “solo agers,” though even people who have adult children can run into complications. The reason they struggle could be due to Read more →

...While I didn’t have to battle my siblings over money, I know first-hand what happens to an aging parent’s savings when their needs increase and in-home care or senior living must be considered. As a family, we wanted the best possible care for our parents. For much of the time, I was capable of providing that hands-on attention Read more →

...Nancy was willing to work toward healing together in family counseling, but her mother vehemently denied any wrongdoing. Whether this denial was conscious or due to “selective memory” Read more →

Dear CH: My heart is with you and your brother. Making decisions that affect a parent living with dementia often causes conflict between well-meaning family members. Let me commend you both for remembering that respect is vital to good caregiving. The conflict arises when Read more →

...The Medicare site Nursing Home Compare is probably the logical first choice though, in my opinion, it should simply be one tool because, like all current tools, it is imperfect. Certain categories are self-rated by the nursing homes involved, which sets up questionable results. Also, since states vary in how they do inspections... Read more →

In my experience, I’ve found that it isn’t always seniors who avoid talking about death. Some do, of course, but many of our aging loved ones would like to discuss the legal and financial arrangements they’ve made, as well as their preferences for end-of-life care... Read more →

Dear PG: While mild cognitive impairment (MCI) doesn’t always progress to Alzheimer’s, it frequently does. With your husband’s family history as well as his relatively young age it would seem that his risk of progression... Read more →

For a while, my mom's disease consisted of minor memory loss, and she was able to be a fairly active part of my dad's care team after his surgery left him demented. However, as is to be expected, her condition worsened... Read more →

The proper response will depend entirely on the sibling and the nature of the family relationship. Let’s look at a few examples and contemplate responses. Perhaps these can inspire other ideas for how to handle your unique circumstances. Read more →