How to Discuss End-of-Life Issues with Older Parents

Photo credit Nathan Anderson In my experience, I’ve found that it isn’t always seniors who avoid talking about death. Some do, of course, but many of our aging loved ones would like to discuss the legal and financial arrangements they’ve made, as well as their preferences for end-of-life care and who they would like to handle their medical decisions if they were to become incapacitated. On the other hand, adult children often find excuses to delay frank discussions about serious illness and death. Few of us like to consider the fact that our parents will die, but nothing will change this truth. In actuality, avoiding end-of-life discussions and failing to help aging loved ones prepare for this inevitability can make the whole experience more difficult and painful for the entire family in the long run.It is to everyone’s advantage to discuss plans and preferences in depth as early as possible. When I had my own legal papers were drawn up, including a last will and testament, power of attorney documents and a living will, I told my children, “Let’s just handle all of this and then get on with the business of living.” While my sons didn’t find the prospect of my death fun to talk about, they dutifully listened to the details of the plan I had created... Continue reading on Agingcare for more on discussing end-of-life issues with your older parents: Support a caregiver or jump-start discussion in support groups with real stories - for bulk orders of Minding ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Source Type: blogs