Do You Hold Family Meetings? Do you have regular family meetings with your aging parents and/or siblings?  Sounds formal and business-like I guess to call it a “meeting”, but the point is do you have purposeful dialogue with your family and/or support system about the care of your parents? We believe having these consistent conversations […] The post Tips on Holding Family Meetings appeared first on Got-Parents ..read more

Raise Your Hand if You need a Day NAP! There is no doubt that many seniors sleep a lot during the day!  Karen and I have stopped trying to figure out when to time our visits to NOT coincide with one of our parents’ multiple daily naps.  It has become, quite frankly, impossible.  Invariably, when […] The post Why Does Mom and Dad sleep so much? appeared first on Got-Parents ..read more

“So How are Your Parents?” I was asked today by an old colleague that worked for my dad 30 years ago, “so how are your parents?”  Taking a deep breath, I wondered how much of IT he was going to want to hear, Or how much I really wanted to share.  “I want to share […] The post How are your parents? Tips for navigating those difficult responses appeared first on Got-Parents ..read more

Aduhelm – A New Drug for Alzheimer’s Last month a monumental moment may have quietly occurred in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.  The FDA approved a new drug, Aduhelm, for treatment in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. The approval of this drug is wrapped up in controversy. This controversy makes it clear to me we […] The post Aduhelm: What you need to know about the newest drug to treat Alzheimer’s appeared first on Got-Parents ..read more

Tips to Begin Downsizing Today I’m going to talk a little about the act of downsizing as you age.  This was DEFINITELY not a fun topic for our parents several years ago.  Our parents were FIRMLY rooted to their 5 bedroom home and accumulated personal belongings of 53+ years.  Medical and financial necessity turned the […] The post Downsizing – A Gradual Process appeared first on Got-Parents ..read more

I was annoyed.  My husband and I were on our first ZOOM meeting with our attorney discussing our new wills. Our attorney asked if we had advanced directives.  I proudly announced that we did! They were gloriously detailed in their outlining of what medical interventions would be acceptable.  Our attorney paused and suggested that maybe […] The post Why do We Need Wills and POA’S? appeared first on Got-Parents ..read more

Seeing the Signs of Dementia The other day I was in my parents apartment in the memory care unit organizing their clothing drawers.  Organizing helps me focus on a measurable task so I set to figuring out the sock drawer. I still struggle with being there with them where meaningful interaction is elusive.  It was […] The post What are Early Signs of Dementia? appeared first on Got-Parents ..read more

This is the time of year when I find myself thinking about managing our parents money and assets!  It’s tax season and I have been doing my parents personal taxes for well over ten years. Tip #1 – Keep it about THEM! If you are hesitant about how to start talking to your parents about […] The post Starting the Money Conversation appeared first on Got-Parents ..read more

“Promise me you will come back” I was hugging mom and kissing her temple when she quietly said the only lucid thought she had shared during our recent visit.  I didn’t even hesitate when I said, “I promise”.  This was a promise I was confident I would deliver. How many times have we had very […] The post Be Careful of Making Promises to Your Aging Parents appeared first on Got-Parents ..read more

Here We Go Again! As the song goes, “Here I Go Again….”  Karen and I found ourselves once again in the position of having to sort through and dispose of more personal items of our parents last month. A flood of dread and despair hit both of us.  We remembered the painful last experience of […] The post Tips on Decluttering Sentimental Items appeared first on Got-Parents ..read more