No one wants to think about losing or quitting a job because of the need to care for elderly relatives. Yet, so many will be forced to confront that possibility. Today, over 10 million adult children are providing home care for aging parents. This is defined as helping with toileting, bathing, dressing and eating (also known as Activities of Daily Living, ADLs). But that number doesn’t even account for the millions more Americans who are providing ongoing help with grocery shopping, driving to appointments, assisting with medical care, financial matters and more!
The truth is, the journey alongside someone who needs elderly care is something like a forced march. Whether the onset of disability is sudden and shocking, or comes in a thousand indiscernible ways, you are not in charge of the speed or direction. You don’t so much chart a course as you constantly course correct. As navigators in this passage with our parents or elder loved ones, we know the destination, but we don’t know the distance. How long is this journey; how far are we going? And how do we find a workable path for all involved? This is no easy task. But before you turn and run the other way, leaving this responsibility to siblings and other family members, here are some suggestions to help prepare you for the road ahead.
Have you considered going back to school in your golden years? For many people past their fifties, it can be intimidating to think about enrolling and finishing (or starting!) a degree. Technology has changed so much, the student body is much younger, it costs too much money, etc…these are all typical reasons someone may shy away from furthering their education. But as you can guess, there are many great reasons for seniors to head back to campus! Here are just a few to consider:
Long term care planning for the loved ones in your life is a very important decision to make. In a previous blog, we discussed 
There are many types of assistance available for senior citizens (in and out of the home), and it can be difficult to know which type of care is appropriate for yourself or a loved one. It can be especially difficult to discern how the costs of each compare to one another, and how this information can help your family make the right decision. Thankfully, there is hard data available; the 2014 Genworth Cost of Care 
When most people think of In Home Care, they likely think of elderly care. While older Americans definitely comprise a large segment of the in-home care population, you might be surprised to learn that many other families use these services as well. 
Did you know that there are an estimated 5.3 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease right now? Although this represents a very small portion of the U.S. population (less than 2% according to 2014 numbers), Alzheimer’s stands out because it is one of the very few diseases that cannot be prevented, cured, or slowed down. Even if it does not impact a majority of Americans directly, the nature of the disease is such that it has a huge impact on both the person suffering, and their family and friends. But what is Alzheimer’s disease? Let’s take a closer look at this disease in-depth to better understand what it is, what can be done, and how to care for those living with Alzheimer’s.
Did you know that the population of Americans 65 and older is 
Discovering that an elderly parent needs in home care can be distressing news for adult children to handle. This is especially so if there are disagreements about how a parent should be cared for, who should be the caregiver, which funds are to be used, and so on. But take heart! There is no need for families to break up or fight incessantly over senior care; in this blog, we’ll cover some tactics that can be helpful in keeping the peace.
Most people have heard the term “HIPAA” but they may not know what it means or how it relates to their personal life (as a side note, it’s often misspelled ‘HIPPA’). Although it’s not well understood, HIPAA-compliance is an important piece of the puzzle to consider when choosing home care assistants or a 
According to the