Caring for an aging parent or other loved one usually begins with the best of intentions. Over time, however, it can easily become one of the most stressful periods in your life, eventually leading to burnout and serious health consequences for you.
Caregivers often feel overwhelmed, that they’ve lost control over their lives, that they’re constantly winging it because of fast changing, unpredictable priorities, and that their days are full of unknowns, self-doubts and questions such as, “Am I doing the right thing?”
How will you manage it all — and still have a life of your own?
Throughout my entire career, I’ve specialized in issues important to seniors — from retirement planning to Medicare and elder care.
That expertise was first put to the test in September 2000 when my parents began to require the assistance of formal caregivers. Shortly thereafter, I became Mom’s primary caregiver for 4 years, from 2001 through 2004, even though she lived 1,200 miles away.
I quickly learned that, despite my prior experience, the real world of elder care can be very frustrating, especially if you are new at it. Most of us don’t know where to go for answers — or even what questions to ask. Fortunately, my background helped guide me through the mountains of new and often unexpected challenges.
I first created the Aging Parents and Elder Care website to share what I learned both personally and professionally — so that it would be easier for you to find the reliable information you need — quickly.
More recently, I created this website to take advantage of the latest technologies — smartphones, tablets, notebooks, etc. — to provide you with relevant answers, support, advice and information, when and where you want it regardless of the device you use.
I’ve also included an online store — Aging at Home Store in the menu above — where you will find helpful products — whether you or your loved ones need a little help or a lot to overcome the challenges of daily living — solutions that can help people continue to live independently in their own homes with increased confidence and peace-of-mind.
My goal: To provide you with reliable information that’s easy to understand, so that you can make informed decisions quickly and confidently.
I wholeheartedly welcome your participation. While I’ve found quite a few things that worked well for me, It would be great if you would use the comments section that appears on most pages to share what has worked well for you. By working together, we can provide better help to other people who are just beginning their eldercare journey and to avoid many of the frustrations and pitfalls that you and I experienced during our own journeys.