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Most people at or near Retirement age will say they want to remain at home as long as possible. That means not going to a seniors’ home of any kind “with all those old people”. It sounds fine to…
Most people at or ne…
Most people at or near retirement age will say they want to remain at home as long as possible. That means not going to a seniors’ home of any kind “with all those old people”. It sounds fine to plan on staying at home forever when one is 65 or so and in reasonably good health. But of course, aging takes its toll. Over time, when the person is in their 80s, aging in place can become an unrealistic choice. What We Deny No one wants to admit that we are losing independence. Research tells us that at least a third of us are going to need help of some kind as we age, particularly over age 85…
Carolyn Rosenblatt
November 18, 2024 Blended Families Are At Risk Sometimes aging and the need for change can bring out the worst in people. It can happen in blended families with aging parents. It may not surface until the adult childre…
Blended Families Are…
Blended Families Are At Risk Sometimes aging and the need for change can bring out the worst in people. It can happen in blended families with aging parents. It may not surface until the adult children are faced with issues over their aging parent in common. When new obligations emerge, hidden conflicts may surface. At AgingParents.com, where we advise families with age-related issues, we see many instances when step-siblings get into fights about who is supposed to do what. Relationships with step-siblings may be reasonably good for many years and no one suspects what may happen in the future…
Carolyn Rosenblatt
September 19, 2024 Here at AgingParents.com, we see a broad range of elder-related problems. This one was a first. It is a true case, one a solo ager can learn from. If you are aging and living alone, take heed. The Fac…
Here at AgingParents…
Here at AgingParents.com, we see a broad range of elder-related problems. This one was a first. It is a true case, one a solo ager can learn from. If you are aging and living alone, take heed. The Facts: Aging veteran (AV) was living alone, and struggling with being disconnected from others. He was okay, he thought. Until he got Covid. He was very ill, and had no one to help him at home. He called on his only son, who historically was aggressive and temperamental. They were not close. AV felt he had no choice. He was scared. Temperamental son, TS, came, along with his unemployed girlfriend, UG…
Carolyn Rosenblatt
September 15, 2024 American families are often scattered across the country. Kids grow up, find opportunities they like in other places and move away. The parents may stay put, happy to remain where they’ve lived most…
American families ar…
American families are often scattered across the country. Kids grow up, find opportunities they like in other places and move away. The parents may stay put, happy to remain where they’ve lived most of their lives. Then aging happens. And with it, risks no one really thought about. At AgingParents.com, where we advise families about age-related issues, we see this repeatedly. A concerned adult child in one state sees red flags of Mom or Dad being in trouble in their home state and it’s far away. What to do? Here’s a real-life example: Case Study Zita is in her 50’s working full t…
Carolyn Rosenblatt
August 12, 2024 The dreaded brain disease, Alzheimer’s, is considered difficult to diagnose. For one thing, it comes on gradually in most cases and initially has no physical symptoms like pain or trouble moving aro…
The dreaded brain di…
The dreaded brain disease, Alzheimer’s, is considered difficult to diagnose. For one thing, it comes on gradually in most cases and initially has no physical symptoms like pain or trouble moving around. Doctors usually first hear that a person has some problems with short term memory. Not much happens until that gets worse. Then, they rely on what the patient says, sometimes what family says, and referral to a neurologist for further examination. They don’t make a diagnosis without more data in most cases. If memory problems persist, they can reach a conclusion that it’s Alzheimer’s or…
Carolyn Rosenblatt
August 6, 2024 Families struggle with how to help aging parents and other loved ones as they begin to lose independence. Especially when the elder lives at a distance from family, assisted living seems to be a solut…
Families struggle wi…
Families struggle with how to help aging parents and other loved ones as they begin to lose independence. Especially when the elder lives at a distance from family, assisted living seems to be a solution. Kids don’t want to move closer to the aging parent and parents don’t want to move from the familiar town or city where they have lived for a long time. The elder needs help and to be watched over and the seniors’ community of assisted living looks attractive in that way. The Hidden Truths For families with loved ones who can’t manage safely alone anymore, assisted living can be a …
Carolyn Rosenblatt
August 4, 2024 Maybe it started to become more visible during the pandemic. Now, there is a nationwide effort to remove the long standing stigma of Mental Health issues. Historically, it has been very difficult for …
Maybe it started to …
Maybe it started to become more visible during the pandemic. Now, there is a nationwide effort to remove the long standing stigma of mental health issues. Historically, it has been very difficult for anyone to persuade a family member to get mental health help when family sees the signs. If you have an elder in your family with these issues, it is likely that you’ll meet resistance when you want that person to consider getting help. Common Problems Here at AgingParents.com, we’re in the business of offering advice to families with age-related issues. It is not at all uncommon for us to…
Carolyn Rosenblatt
July 29, 2024 Adult son of a well-to-do Real Estate investor began to notice that his father, Wealthy Dad (WD), was slipping. WD was becoming forgetful. He had purchased a lot of real Estate in his younger days, an…
Adult son of a well-…
Adult son of a well-to-do real estate investor began to notice that his father, Wealthy Dad (WD), was slipping. WD was becoming forgetful. He had purchased a lot of real estate in his younger days, and owned eight single family houses in one of the most expensive markets in the U.S. He gradually lost the ability to manage his rental homes and other investments. Adult son (AS) who was a successful professional, began to feel a sense of panic. Those houses were falling apart, he knew, but he did not realize how bad things had gotten. AS knew that the burden could fall heavily on him as WD’s he…
Carolyn Rosenblatt
July 22, 2024 Our elders love their independence, for the most part. Perhaps over time, their chronic health conditions start to erode their abilities to do some things independently. In the absence of a sudden eve…
Our elders love thei…
Our elders love their independence, for the most part. Perhaps over time, their chronic health conditions start to erode their abilities to do some things independently. In the absence of a sudden event, like a fall, the slow decline in physical ability may not be obvious when family visit their loved ones. And at some point, the activity your elder has always done on their own becomes dangerous. But how can we tell when they reach that point? The “Activities of Daily Living” and Safety The medical community and home care providers often refer to how well a person can do at home by loo…
Carolyn Rosenblatt
July 15, 2024 A new study published in the New York Times demonstrates some startling findings about loss of ability to make Money decisions in older people. The study approaches the issue by looking at debt accumu…
A new study publishe…
A new study published in the New York Times demonstrates some startling findings about loss of ability to make money decisions in older people. The study approaches the issue by looking at debt accumulation and reduced credit scores in elders long before being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. The team of economists and medical experts looked the combination of Medicare records and data from the credit bureau, Equifax. Their research was comprehensive, extensive and credible. They found that people fall behind in paying their normal debts like mortgages and credit card…
Carolyn Rosenblatt
July 8, 2024 A new study published in the New York Times demonstrates some startling findings about loss of ability to make money decisions in older people. The study approaches the issue by looking at debt accumu…
A new study publishe…
A new study published in the New York Times demonstrates some startling findings about loss of ability to make money decisions in older people. The study approaches the issue by looking at debt accumulation and reduced credit scores in elders long before being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. The team of economists and medical experts looked the combination of Medicare records and data from the credit bureau, Equifax. Their research was comprehensive, extensive and credible. They found that people fall behind in paying their normal debts like mortgages and credit card…
Carolyn Rosenblatt
June 17, 2024 The battle goes on with aging parents who are living alone or without family nearby and their adult children. From the kids’ point of view, their parent is just not safe in that big house anymore, w…
The battle goes on w…
The battle goes on with aging parents who are living alone or without family nearby and their adult children. From the kids’ point of view, their parent is just not safe in that big house anymore, with the declines that often come with aging. Perhaps the elder has lost a spouse or partner and there is no one left to watch out for them. The family tells them they should move. They explore senior living situations. They urge and argue with the aging parent. They’re worried, and justifiably so. Frail elders are not safe living alone, generally. The Aging Parent’s View If you happen to have …
Carolyn Rosenblatt
March 26, 2024 You’ve heard the adage “use it or lose it”. It’s particularly apt in describing what happens as we age. Typically we move less, lose muscle strength, and suffer the consequences of losing inde…
You’ve heard the a…
You’ve heard the adage “use it or lose it”. It’s particularly apt in describing what happens as we age. Typically we move less, lose muscle strength, and suffer the consequences of losing independence, have greater fall risk and other undesirable things. At the beginning of each year, people commonly make New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, or somehow “get in shape”. But, we also know that most people don’t keep those resolutions very long and eventually just give them up. A Key To Independence Here are some thoughts on what any older person can and must do if you don’t wa…
Carolyn Rosenblatt
January 13, 2024 Have you ever heard the term “undue influence”? Most people don’t really understand what it means. Is it just some weird legal thing? Or should you understand it? When it comes to seniors and …
Have you ever heard …
Have you ever heard the term “undue influence”? Most people don’t really understand what it means. Is it just some weird legal thing? Or should you understand it? When it comes to seniors and financial abuse, the term becomes very important, because undue influence often leads to financial abuse. The legal concept of undue influence goes way back in history to the 1600s. A lot of our law in the US is based on what our British ancestors did. And sure enough, there is an old case in which a woman pretended to love an older man and pressured or influenced him to give her all his mon…
Carolyn Rosenblatt
January 4, 2024 American families are often scattered across the country. Kids grow up, find opportunities they like in other places and move away from home. The parents may stay put, happy to remain where they’ve …
American families ar…
American families are often scattered across the country. Kids grow up, find opportunities they like in other places and move away from home. The parents may stay put, happy to remain where they’ve lived most of their lives. Then aging happens. And with it, risks no one really thought about. At AgingParents.com, where we advise families about age-related issues, we see this repeatedly. A concerned adult child in one state sees red flags of Mom or Dad being in trouble in their home state and it’s far away. What to do? Here’s a real-life example: Case Study Zita is in her 50’s working fu…
Carolyn Rosenblatt
November 15, 2023 Few things symbolize our independence like driving a car when and where we want to. For aging parents, there is nearly always an end to that independence at some point. But when do they reach that poi…
Few things symbolize…
Few things symbolize our independence like driving a car when and where we want to. For aging parents, there is nearly always an end to that independence at some point. But when do they reach that point? Often, aging parents’ gradual decline in ability can be hard to spot when adult children don’t live with them. In my own family, we were fortunate. My mother-in-law, Alice lived to be 96. When she finally relented at age 93, and moved into a seniors’ community, she voluntarily gave up the car. We breathed a sigh of relief and sold it promptly. For lots of other elders we hear about at Ag…
Carolyn Rosenblatt
November 15, 2023 Dr. Peter Attia, MD, has written an excellent book on how to keep ourselves from getting common chronic illnesses with aging. It’s Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity, which offers a clear strat…
Dr. Peter Attia, MD,…
Dr. Peter Attia, MD, has written an excellent book on how to keep ourselves from getting common chronic illnesses with aging. It’s Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity, which offers a clear strategy to avoid these illnesses. He refers to those which kill the majority of Americans as the Four Horsemen. They are heart disease, Cancer, neurogenerative disease, and type 2 Diabetes (and related metabolic dysfunction). He encourages the use of proactive tactics to keep us living well and longer in good health. It is not new to hear from a qualified medical expert that we need to prevent chronic…
Carolyn Rosenblatt
November 15, 2023 For a long time, we were entitled to only an annual credit report from the three reporting agencies: EquifaxEFX, Experian and TransUnion. Now you can get a report weekly and for free. When you get a p…
For a long time, we …
For a long time, we were entitled to only an annual credit report from the three reporting agencies: EquifaxEFX, Experian and TransUnion. Now you can get a report weekly and for free. When you get a parent’s credit report, you can find a lot of information. Your aging parents may be spending more than they or you realize. They may have multiple credit cards you don’t know about. Even worse, they may be unable to competently track and pay their bills and have unpaid debts. That can cause some serious problems for you down the road. One important factor to bear in mind is that when an elder …
Carolyn Rosenblatt
November 1, 2023 
