Experts are encouraging families of seniors to use holiday visits as a time to assess how things are going with their aging loved ones and decide whether any issues, such as finances, living arrangements or driving, need to be addressed.
“Although the prospect of addressing sensitive topics can often be intimidating, it’s critical for these conversations to happen before a crisis occurs,” says Jeff Huber, president and chief operating officer of Home Instead, Inc. “The holidays, when families often are together, are the perfect time to have the discussion and begin putting together a plan to ensure successful aging.”
According to recently-conducted research, 70 percent of family conversations about aging issues don’t occur until they are prompted by a health crisis or other emergency. This can increase the likelihood of family disputes.
Having conversations early and often, about issues including living arrangements, finances, dating, end-of-life decisions and driving, can save families years of heartache, tension and even legal battles.
However, research indicates that about two-thirds of American families put off these conversations.
“The reality is these are tough things to talk about,” says Huber. “Lots of families are either uncomfortable with the topics or they just don’t know where to start.”
That’s why this holiday season, the local Home Instead Senior Care office is sponsoring the “40-70 Rule” program, which includes an Action Plan for Successful Aging and other resources to help ease these conversations between adult children and their parents.
The idea behind the “40-70 Rule” is that by the time adult children are age 40 and their parents are age 70, they should have these critical conversations that will impact the parents’ future.
Huber says that he hopes families will use the tools within the program to look, see and talk with their senior loved ones about areas where a change may need to be made.
“One of the greatest gifts you can give an aging loved one is to honor their wishes for how they want to live,” Huber says. “And in order to do that, you need to know what those wishes are, what the obstacles might be, and how to best handle them.”
For more information about the “40-70 Rule” program or to obtain a copy of the Action Plan for Successful Aging, visit www.4070talk.com.
