It can be difficult to discuss wills, estates and end-of-life issues, and here are some thoughts and expert advice on how to start. I wrote an earlier column on wills and trusts, which focused more on the nuts and bolts …
Estate Planning and Elder Care: Getting the Conversation Started Read more »
When my 69-year-old mother-in-law was diagnosed with a rare brain disease last spring, the solution seemed obvious: She should come stay with my family in Tokyo. After all, nearly half the elderly in Japan live with their adult children. My …
How To Balance Caring for Aging Parents While Looking After Kids - The Juggle Read more »
Used to be, the phone or a good neighbor were the best bets for keeping tabs on someone you love who's elderly and living alone — especially if you lived too far to buzz over every day. But more and …
Stock-market turmoil once again has Americans worrying about their 401ks and individual retirement accounts. But families can be blindsided by another aspect of these accounts: confusing rules about who is entitled to the assets in circumstances such as the account …
Who Inherits the 401k or IRA? The Answer May Surprise You. Read more »
Kudos to the millions of "sandwich-generation" Americans. These exhausted souls spend their time and money caring for and supporting not only their own children (and sometimes, grandchildren), but their parents as well. All while trying to advance their own careers …
For members of the so-called sandwich generation, fitting the needs of aging parents into an already busy life can be a recipe for severe indigestion. Determining whether an elderly person can stay in their residence or needs more intensive care, …
Elder care: Going it alone can be a recipe for burnout Read more »
Faced with the usual options for senior housing and elder care, some older adults are inventing their own grassroots versions — do-it-yourself senior living that’s friendlier, more autonomous and less expensive. Fellows in the News21 program at the Columbia University …
It’s an emotionally wrenching decision: having to put a parent, spouse or loved one in a nursing home. “The biggest thing for a lot of people is the feeling of guilt,” said Ann Henry, chief operating officer for the Pennsylvania …
How to choose the best elder care for your loved one Read more »
IN THE AMERICAN hierarchy of relationships, friendship often seems distinctly second-class. We obsess about the "work-family balance," but the leisurely conversation with an old friend is a quick casualty when it conflicts with either one. Just in the last generation, …
Some argue it's time to legally recognize the bond of friendship Read more »
How childless adults should approach their later years is a question that surfaces with some frequency among readers and commenters here. It’s true, as many attest, that being a parent doesn’t guarantee elder care. But it’s also true that the …