The Complete Eldercare Planner : Where to Start, Which Questions to Ask, and How to Find Help

"Am I doing the right thing?" "I work full-time -- how can I be in two places at once?" "Who's going to pay for Mom's home care?" "How do I bring up sensitive subjects like their money, moving, and not driving?" "Do we need long-term-care insurance?" "Wait! Do I really want Dad to move in?" "Where do my parents keep their legal documents?" "Do they have a will?" Caring for elderly loved ones can be a full-time job--on top of regular work and family responsibilities. How can you cope?

The answer is Joy Loverde's The Complete Eldercare Planner, now fully revised and updated with the latest information to help you plan ahead and manage real-life eldercare crises. Everything you need is on these pages, with essential checklists, practical communication tips, free and low-cost resources, web-sites, step-by-step action plans, questions to ask the professionals, record-keeping forms, and The Documents Locator,™ which helps you to always have access to critical paperwork. Here's a sample of what you'll find inside:

EFFECTIVE PLANNING: Where to start -- Getting caught off-guard
COMMUNICARING: Opening up the dialogue -- Turning conflict into cooperation -- Getting everyone in the family to pitch in
CAREGIVERS: How to tell when your elder needs help -- Sharing the care -- Avoiding burnout
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: Managing medications -- Coping with hospitalization
MONEY MATTERS: The cost of long-term care -- Ready cash
LEGAL MATTERS: Estate planning -- Elder advocacy
INSURANCE: Getting the coverage you need -- Beyond Medicare
HOUSING: Home suite home -- When Mom or Dad moves in
SAFE AND SECURE: Minimizing distress over distance -- Accident-proofing the home
TRANSPORTATION: When it is no longer safe to drive -- Alternative transportation
HEALTH AND WELLNESS: Taking charge of health -- Communicating with the doctor
DEATH AND DYING: End-of-life issues -- Saying good-bye
QUALITY OF LIFE: Aging with disability -- Family power
THE DOCUMENTS LOCATOR™

Joy Loverde works with family members and organizations that want to lessen the financial and emotional burdens of caring for elderly loved ones. She also serves as a consultant to attorneys, financial planners, clergy, professionals, administrators, and other members of the fast-growing eldercare advisory industry. Her work has been featured on the Today show and in USA Today. She is on the faculty of Eden Across America and is the international eldercare spokesperson for the Employee Services Management Association. She lives in Chicago.