All in the Family
Flexibility is key when aging parents move in with their adult kids Jivabhai P. Patel contracted Covid-19 a few weeks before Christmas, and he did not recover. But because he lived at home with his grown son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren, Patel, who was 89 years old, did not die behind glass in an intensive care unit, […]
The Power of Intergenerational Connections
Among the many lessons that 2020 has taught us is that human happiness goes hand-in-hand with human connectedness. That counts doubly so for intergenerational relationships between older adults and younger individuals, according to a 2019 AARP study. Researchers found that 93% of people on both sides of a close intergenerational friendship felt it came with […]
Time to Talk
The tough conversation about stepping up care It’s one of the most difficult conversations to have: letting a loved one know they may no longer be able to care for themselves. Chicagoan Abby Clancy knows this all too well. “We had been having the conversation about moving with my mother on and off for years,” […]
Create a Contract for Family Care
Kiplinger Retirement Report When the caregiver whom Amy Goyer, of Phoenix, hired for her 93-year-old father seemed particularly tired recently, Goyer realized she had been so busy she wasn’t aware her employee needed a vacation. As it happens, that caregiver is also her sister. “A loved one who provides care can get burned out, too, […]
POLST Orders Help Patients Advocate for Their End-of-Life Care
My grandfather did not want to die. From hospital to home, back to hospital and finally to hospice, he angrily fought against the realities of the cancer that would eventually end his life. Many years before his battle with cancer, I remember sitting in the car with him, discussing assisted deaths. I was home for […]