Mabel had been having difficulty gathering the necessary paperwork to prepare her taxes last year and was referred to me by a friend who volunteers helping seniors with their taxes at the senior center in Mabel’s town. Mabel was 82, with five adult children, and had been divorced and on her own for many years.…

I met Gloria through a social worker who worked onsite at the retirement community where Gloria was living. Gloria’s daughter had remarried and was moving across country with her husband. She was looking for someone to take over household management for her mom, and the social worker contacted me. My first task was to get…

In part one of my story about Lucy we left off with Lucy settling into her new home at an assisted living facility. I’d helped her move there from the home where she’d been living for almost 50 years. Shortly after the move her son returned from where he lives overseas to celebrate the holidays…

If you are caring for an aging loved one, you’ve probably already recognized that it’s difficult to do everything yourself, especially if you’re also trying to balance the needs of your own family and work obligations. The good news is, there are many resources available to you for help. In the coming months I’ll be…

In my last blog I talked about taking the opportunity during a holiday visit to assess how your aging parents are doing. When you’ve done that, and have determined that there may be some reason for concern or that some changes or additional help is needed, it’s time to sit down with your parents and create a…