As Parents Age: A Psychological and Practical Guide

Practical (checklists, etc.) and caring advice for dealing with parents' aging while respecting their feelings and knowledge.

As boomers turn 50, their parents, if living, are turning 70, 80, even 90. So this informative guide to many of the biological, psychological, economic, medical, legal, and personal issues involved in caring for older parents (or friends) is timely and enlightening. Ilardo, a licensed psychotherapist and social worker, encountered some of the problems he discusses in assisting his own parents (and parents-in-law); he now directs two programs that help adult children ease their parents' later years. He covers the biological and psychological effects of aging, the impact of these changes on the family and on adult children's attitudes, steps children can take to allow parents to stay at home as long as possible, issues to be considered if a parent can no longer live at home, critical end-of-life decisions, and dealing with an elderly parent's death. Full of useful charts and checklists, surveys and summaries, the book closes with a "Selected Resources" list and glossary. Appropriate for all libraries. Mary Carroll