Foreword / Jennie Chin Hansen -- Introduction: Something Unexpected -- 1. First Things First -- Ten
... Survival Tips -- Critical Conversations -- Gathering Vital Documents -- Exploring the Options -- Getting Organized -- When You Can't Be There -- Adapting to New Roles -- 2. Your Parent and You -- A Changing Relationship -- When They Won't Listen -- Defusing Old Struggles -- Coping Day to Day -- Exceptionally Difficult Parents -- 3. Caring for the Caregiver -- Setting Limits -- Emotional Minefields -- 12 More Steps to a Healthy Mind-Set -- The Male Caregiver -- 4. The Inner Circle -- Working with Siblings -- Compensating the Caregiver -- A Family Meeting -- Significant Others -- Time for Kids -- Multilayer Sandwiches -- Careers and Caregiving -- The Golden Years -- 5. A Healthier Body -- In the Gym -- The ABCs of Diet -- The Liquor Cabinet -- Up in Smoke -- 6. A Happier Soul -- The Quest -- Family and Friends -- Spiritual Fulfillment -- Reminiscing -- Volunteering and Working -- Involved and Active -- Dating, Sex, and Marriage -- Life at Home -- 7. Tips for Daily Living -- Safety First -- Monitors and Alert Systems -- Preventing Falls -- Room-by-Room Modifications -- Bathing and Grooming -- Dressing -- What's for Dinner? -- In the Driver's Seat -- Gadgets and Gizmos -- 8. Getting Help -- Assessing the Need -- Family and Friends -- Community Services -- Geriatric Care Managers -- 9. Paid Help at Home -- In-Home Care -- The Hiring Process -- From Day One -- Managing the Troops -- When There Is Trouble -- Respite Care -- The Halls of Medicine -- 10. Rx for the Elderly -- The Age Difference -- Finding a Doctor -- A Wellness Visit -- A Geriatric Assessment -- A Personal Health Record -- An Informed Advocate -- Complementary and Alternative Medicine -- 11. The Body Imperfect: Part I -- A Muddle of Medications -- Vision -- Hearing -- Sleep -- Temperature Regulation -- Dehydration -- Skin Care -- Arms, Legs, and Feet -- Teeth and Mouth -- 12. The Body Imperfect: Part II -- Bones and Joints -- Incontinence -- Constipation -- Other Digestive Disorders -- Anemia -- Diabetes -- 13. Matters of the Mind -- Depression -- Delirium -- Anxiety Disorders -- Delusions and Hallucinations -- Hypochondria -- 14. In the Hospital -- Avoiding It -- Choosing a Hospital -- Admission -- Following His Wishes -- Tests, Surgery, and Treatments -- At the Nurses' Station -- Providing Comfort -- When You Are Far Away -- Hospital Dangers -- Resolving Disputes -- Preparing for Discharge -- Bills, Bills, Bills -- Handling the Paperwork -- 15. Paying the Way -- Talking About Money -- First Steps -- Dipping into Your Own Funds -- Financial Planning -- Benefits and Discounts -- Getting Cash Out of a Home -- Tax Tips -- Professional Help -- 16. Avoiding Fraud -- Who's at Risk? -- Common Scams and Scoundrels -- Preventing Exploitation -- Signs of Trouble -- What to Do -- 17. Paying for Health Care -- Medicare -- Medicaid -- Long-Term Care -- 18. Legal Issues -- Where There's a Will… -- Power of Attorney -- Advance Directives -- Trusts -- Reducing Estate Taxes -- Probate -- A Question of Competence -- Legal Help -- Home Away from Home -- 19. Moving Out, Moving In -- Launching the Discussion -- Is It Time to Move? -- Should Mom Move Closer? -- Should Dad Move In? -- Under One Roof -- Separate Quarters -- 20. An Array of Housing Options -- Roommates and Shared Housing -- Congregate Housing -- Retirement Communities -- Senior Apartments -- Foster Homes -- Assisted Living -- Continuing Care Retirement Communities -- 21. A Good Nursing Home -- The Decision -- Starting the Hunt -- What to Look For in Any Facility -- Getting In -- Admission -- Who Pays? -- 22. Making the Move Work -- Moving Day -- A Plan of Care -- Visiting -- Being an Advocate -- Long-Distance Caregiving -- When Trouble Brews -- Is This Move Working? -- When They Forget -- 23. The Aging Brain -- What Is Normal? -- Mild Cognitive Impairment -- Dementia -- Getting Tested -- Alzheimer's Disease -- Vascular Dementia -- Lewy Body Dementia -- Dealing with the Diagnosis -- Treating Dementia -- 24. Living with Dementia -- Helping Your Parent -- Helping Yourself -- 25. Managing Day to Day -- Hygiene and Dressing -- Incontinence -- Eating -- Communication -- A Sense of Time -- Other Challenges -- Problem Behaviors -- Psychotic Symptoms -- Late-Stage Dementia -- The Last Good-bye -- 26. Nearing the End -- Well in Advance -- Making Decisions -- Your Parent's Perspective -- Communicating -- Caring for Your Parent Now -- Taking Care of Yourself -- Care at Home -- Hospice Care -- In the Hospital -- What Death Looks Like -- The Moment After -- 27. The Aftermath -- A Funeral Director -- The Obituary -- Planning a Funeral -- Taking Care of Business -- Dividing Possessions -- 28. Good Grief -- Facets of Grief -- Caregiver Grief -- Growing from Grief -- The Surviving Parent -- Children and Grief -- A Final Note -- 29. You're Next -- Talk About It -- Paying for Old Age -- A Question of Where -- Your Body -- Your Mind -- Your Life -- Resources -- Useful Organizations -- Caregiver's Organizer -- Index Read More