Family Care Survival Course

Becoming a well-prepared Caregiver starts with a tough talk. What are the obstacles? How do you get stubborn parents to cooperate?

Remember "The Facts of Life"? This is just about as awkward and more important.

This was in your homework. Here, we'll review what each topic entails and why they're all important.

This just isn't natural. They are the parents. You are their kid. Try to put yourself in their position.

Push too hard, and you'll lose them.

Enlist co-conspirators. It may be easier than you think!

Another fun quiz! Download the PDF from the Resources folder, take the quiz, and then download and review the Answer Key.

Here's what we've covered in Section 2.

Here's a free sample of "Dementia Sucks" for your reading pleasure. These pages have been selected to prepare you for Section 3.

People tend to drag their feet when it comes to taking certain actions, believing them to be "too expensive." In this section, we'll learn about what's TRULY expensive.

Let's explore the concepts of "Advance Directives" and "Guardianship" to inspire taking action before it's too late.

Here we'll learn what the most important and useful legal tools are and why the right professional can make all the difference.

Families can be a blessing and a curse. Focus on the former and maybe you can be spared from the latter.

See how well you absorbed the concepts in this section. Download and take the Quiz in the Resources folder. Then download the Answer Key to see how you well you did.

What have we learned? The right lawyer = GOOD. Not planning for Medicaid = BAD. Waiting = BAD. Are we having any fun yet?

There's always a method to the madness. This blog post (click the link in the PDF to get there easily) will give you some food for thought and context for the next section.

What's a "Good Death"? It's time to look at the end of life from a more grown-up perspective.

Planning is important. Knowing WHAT to plan for will make that task easier.

Just about everyone would prefer to live in their own home forever. It's possible for some with planning. But sometimes, it's just impractical. Here we discuss the ways one can live with support as they age.

Caregivers deserve respect, gratitude and compensation. Making it clear and legal is a step few take, but absolutely should.

As a society, we need to grow up and face this. Death is part of life. We all die. It's all a matter of how. Making the transition as painless as possible is a great gift.

Here we go again. You know the drill: download the Quiz PDF from the Resources folder. Take the Quiz. Then download the Answer Key to see how you did. You're beginning to enjoy this, aren't you?

Now you know why Estate Planning is so important for everyone and why you should work with a professional who specializes in Estate Planning and Elder Law.

The homework for this section is from a paper published by professors from Harvard Business School. You'll learn about the disconnect between employers and their staff-members who are caregivers. This may ring some bells for you.

In this section, we'll start applying the lessons of caregiving to YOUR life and look at the trends impacting your future.

Humans don't like to believe anything bad will ever happen, but now you know bad things DO indeed happen to all of us. Planning for your future will have an impact on you and your family.

You've learned a lot here and it's up to you to APPLY what you now know. You won't be sorry.

Dementia really does suck, and you want to avoid it if at all possible. These are some resources to help you understand how to steer clear of cognitive decline and possibly even reverse it.

In gratitude, I welcome students of the Family Care Survival Course to take advantage of having a complimentary consultation with me. Here's how.