Have you ever wondered about why driving is such a big deal to older adults?

Well, today I’m gonna answer the age old question (see what I did there) about why driving is such a big deal to older adults.  Buckle up! 

If we're gonna talk about older adults and driving. We have to talk about an idea that many people have that older adults are bad drivers.

This is a myth, which has been formed by ageism.

What is Ageism?

Ageism is bias and discrimination based on age. And, it harms older adults!

Ageism affects older adults at almost every level of their lives. For example, it plays a major role in older adults not receiving adequate health care ("of course you have that condition... you're old"), in losing opportunities to stay in the workforce ("don't you think you should retire?"), and even in beliefs that older adults are bad drivers.

Let me give you an example:

You hear a story on the news about an older adult who made a mistake while...

Raise your hand if you’ve heard the term Activities of Daily Living, otherwise known as ADLs!

Now, raise your hand if you’ve heard of term Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, also known as IADLs! 

Your hand is probably down. And that’s okay! At the end of this episode you are gonna be raising your hands high!

In today's episode, I’m going to walk you through Activities of Daily Living, which I’ll call ADLs and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, which I’ll call IADLs!  And, I’ll also explain why it’s so important that you know what they are!

 Because...

Knowing Activities of Daily Living Will Help You Care for Aging Parents!

So What Are Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)?

ADLs are basic life tasks that we learn when we are children and generally maintain independence with for most of our lives. They include:

• Bathing: Can your parent bathe or shower on their own?...

Last week, I listed the various types of living environments for older adults, this week, I wanted to share exactly why you should know living options for your aging parents.

Why is knowing the different living options for older adults so important?

1. You need to know what options are available as your parents' care needs change.
2. Knowing options will help you to identify the best fit and feel for your parents’ care needs
3. Being familiar with options before you need them will help to increase your comfort in conversations with your parents about their living options. (The more comfort you have, the healthier the conversation is likelier to be!)

Here are are...

7 (Additional) Reasons Why It’s Important to Know The Different Living Options For Older Adults!

Watch it here, read it below, or do both! 

7 Reasons Why It’s Important To Know

The Different Living Options For Older Adults!

1. Helps you to prepare...

Did you know that most older adults DO NOT live in Nursing Homes?

What?!!

That's right!

In 2010, only 4.5% of older adults were living in nursing homes. But somehow there's a misperception that most older adults live in nursing homes.

So, if they don't live in Nursing Homes, where do where DO older adults live?

The vast majority of older adults (93.5%) live in.... (drum roll).... the community!

Because there are so many misperceptions about where older adults live, I thought I would take this opportunity to describe the different environments that older adults live in!

Watch it here!

So, why is knowing the different living options for older adults so important?

1. You need to know what options are available as your parents' care needs change.
2. Knowing options will help you to identify the best fit for your parents’ care needs
3. Being familiar with options before you need them will help to increase your comfort in conversations with your parents about...

Aging parents and sibling relationships are super complicated! Throw caregiving demands on top of family conflict, and what do you get? Resentment! Burnout! And, family members not talking for months or years at a time!

But, it doesn’t have to be this way.

In this article, I share...

7 Tips For Talking With Your Siblings About Your Aging Parents’ Care.

These tips will help to prevent burnout when caring for aging parents and strengthen the relationships between you and your siblings. I mean, who doesn’t want that?

Watch it! Read it! Or do both!

1. Call For A Sibling Meeting

When you have concerns about your aging parents' needs or care, it can be helpful to call for a meeting between you and your siblings so that everyone can get on the same page.

This is really important because you may have your own ideas about how things should be done while your siblings have their own ideas. Not to mention that you may...

How to Talk with Aging Parents About Their Needs and Wishes

It’s tough to know how to talk with older parents about difficult topics. Are you gonna say the wrong thing and push your elderly parent away?

In this episode (#005) of THE CARING FOR AGING PARENTS SHOW, I share 7 tips for talking with older parents about their needs and wishes related to caregiving and difficult topics.

Emotions tend to run high around difficult topics like driving, independent living, health decisions, and managing money. Taking the time to prepare for these conversations will set you up for success.

So watch the video now!

Here's an overview of the 7 tips I share for talking with your aging parents about their needs and wishes with caregiving and difficult topics!

Tip 1: Call for a Parent/Family Meeting

Ask to meet with your parents to talk about their wishes in older adulthood. By calling for a family (or one:one) meeting you and your...

Many people wait until there's a crisis before having a conversation with their parents about their future. You know, planning for needs and changes in older adulthood.

And this makes sense! Conversations about what life might look like down the road can be painful for both older adults and the people who love them. It's difficult to face the possibility of sickness, frailty, and loss of independence. And, as a result, we ALL tend to avoid these conversations.

Well, avoid no longer!

In this fourth episode of The Caring for Aging Parents Show, I share tips on starting this conversation!

And BONUS! I share 6 conversation starters!

Watch it now!

Here's an overview of  the tips for talking with your aging parents about their future:

1. Don't wait until there is a crisis! Starting these conversations long before your parent has a medical, mental health, or financial crisis is the best approach. Your parents are going to have A LOT of transitions in their lives and some of...

Worried Your Aging Parent Has Memory Loss?

It's normal for an older adult to forget where they put their keys, look all over for their glasses, then realize that they're wearing them, or have trouble remembering someone's name. But, there are times when memory loss can be really scary and concerning.

Here are 5 tips for for helping your aging parent when you're concerned they may have memory loss

Watch, read, or do both! You choose

1. Write down what you observe.

If you're noticing changes in your parent's memory, or changes in cognitive function (this is a fancy term for the way the brain thinks, remembers, processes information, etc), it is really important that you keep track of specific examples that you notice.

For example, My mom got lost the other day driving home from a store that she's been going to for years. Or, My dad’s been leaving the stove on and burning food. Or, my mom has been rummaging through drawers and can never find...