Let's Talk About Aging Parents A Real-Life Guide to Solving Problems with 27 Essential Conversations

The answers to all the elder care questions that keep you up at night—from an expert who understands exactly what you’re going through

Author Laura Tamblyn Watts understands these late-night worries. Not only are her own parents in their eighties—she’s also spent her career informing others about aging people’s needs as the CEO of CanAge, a seniors’ advocacy organization. Here, she transforms her experience into a handbook of practical advice on doing the right thing while caring for an older loved one. 

Watts addresses every aspect of elder care, covering living situations (at home or in a retirement or nursing facility), mental changes like dementia, money management, complicated family relationships, and changes in physical ability. She has advice for everyone: whether they live far across the country from their parents or right nearby, whether they’re involved in their parents’ lives or haven’t been in contact for years, whether they’re an only child or one of twelve kids. Tough issues like mental health, addiction, abuse or neglect, estrangement, an “unsuccessful son in the basement,” second or third marriages, divorces—these are all covered with grace and humor that make this tough stage of life seem a little easier. With Watts’s help, getting informed and making a plan will stop 3 AM worry sessions for good.

Introduction: The Big Picture—What to Expect as Your Parents Age

PART 1: ABOUT WHERE YOUR PARENTS LIVE
1. I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up—Age-Proofing the House
2. How to Tell If It’s Time for Your Parents to Move Out of the Family Home
3. Getting Rid of a Lifetime—Downsizing Ain’t Easy and No One Wants Their Stuff
4. A Hand around the House—Who Helps, What Does It Cost, Red Flags
5. Choosing a Retirement Home or Independent Senior Living
6. When Is Long-Term Care the Right Decision and How Does It All Work?
7. How to Make Long-Term Care as Good as Possible
 
PART 2: ABOUT MENTAL CAPACITY, MAKING DECISIONS FOR SOMEONE ELSE, AND CONCERNS ABOUT ELDER ABUSE
8. “Just Put Me on an Ice Floe”—The Joys of Denial
9. “Are They Losing It?”—Dementia and Mental Capacity
10. Who Gets to Decide?—Figuring Out Powers of Attorney and How to Be One
11. Elder Abuse and Neglect
12. Frauds and Scams Targeted to Seniors and What to Do About Them
13. Running Your Parents’ Finances—A How-to Guide
 
PART 3: ABOUT CONNECTIONS, LOSSES, AND KEEPING UP WITH THE MODERN WORLD
14. The Modern Family—Halfs, Steps, Second Families, and Divorces
15. Gray Romance, Sex, and Other Things You May Not Want to Visualize
16. Guilt—Yours. Theirs. Everyone’s.
17. When You Actually Don’t Like Your Parents Very Much but You’re Their Kid
18. Good Old Addictions and Mental Health
19. When One of Your Parents Dies and Leaves the Other Behind
20. Beating Loneliness and Making New Connections
21. Staying “With It” in an Increasingly Digital World
 
PART 4: ABOUT SENSORY LOSSES AND CARING FOR SOMEONE ELSE’S BODY
22. The Eyes Have It—Vision Loss
23. Drive Baby Drive!—From Broaching “The Talk” to Taking the Keys Away (and Still Getting Invited to Thanksgiving Dinner)
24. Speak Up and Stop Mumbling—Hearing Loss and How to Help
25. Walk the Line—Falling Concerns, Assistive Devices, and Navigating Disability
26. Smelly Business—Incontinence, Bathing, and Grooming Your Parent
27. Shake, Rattle, and Roll—Tremors, Strokes, and Parkinson’s
28. Mouthy Much?—Dental Care for Seniors

​Conclusion: That’s a Wrap!