When Children Become the Parents…Navigating Aging Parents with Shivan Sarna
On today’s episode I am diving deep with Shivan Sarna on a topic that is NOT talked about enough in midlife…navigating taking care of aging and elderly parents. Shivan took care of her mom the last 10 years of her life as she lived with lymphoma in the 90s (when a lot was just NOT known about lymphoma). When her mom was passing, she had asked a long time family friend (Linda) from a generation older than Shivan to take after her. As her adopted mom, now that Linda is aging, tables have turned and now Shivan is taking care of HER! Whatever the situation, there can be so many complications when caring for your aging parents, and preparing for it can make all the difference in the world.
It unfortunately is common to witness those we love go from a robust human being, to someone who is aging and wasting away. It happens to all of us, but it’s still hard. The majority of us don’t plan on our OWN death, nor do we consider needing to take care of the older generation…which is why we have an elder care crisis in this country. And in addition to there being really good homes, there are also REALLY BAD homes. Also…there can be SO much devastating guilt around sending someone to a nursing home. It’s a lot.
Check List Time
It’s time to give yourself a nice healthy reality check – and consider this your todo list:
- Do you know about medicare and medicaid? (Super over simplified: Medicare is when you still have money; Medicaid is when you do not.)
- Do you have an elder care lawyer?
- Are your wills in good shape? Are their wills in good shape?
- Do you have a power of attorney?
- Does your parent want to be resuscitated or is there a doctor signed DNR in place?
- Is there life insurance?
- Decide on burial or cremation
What Are Some Helpful Resources?
Hospice is something to consider for end of life care. There is a lot that hospice can help with at the end of life. In addition to hospice, www.Care.com is a great resource for additional help (from drivers to nurses to you name it) so that YOU can be sure to remember to take care of YOURSELF during the process, too.
This and more on this episode!
About Shivan Sarna
Shivan Sarna is an author, TV host, investigative journalist, podcaster, and health advocate. She is the creator of SIBO SOS®, the Digestion SOS™documentary series, the Gut & Microbiome Rescue Summit, and the Lymphatic Rescue Summit. After a lifetime of struggling with health issues, Shivan made it her mission to demystify her own health struggles – and to share that information with others who were struggling. Her special skill is finding and connecting with the leading expert doctors and connecting those experts with the people who need their help. Her personal mantra is SOS: Save Our Selves, and that’s what she has helped thousands of people do!
In this episode, you will learn:
- How to navigate the process of healthcare for your parents
- What you need to have in place for a smooth transition after life
- The difference between medicare and medicade
- Why you should get long term care insurance
- What to setup for hospice
