Entries from July 2009
By Joe Ponepinto
A few months ago my mother, who lives in another state, had some car trouble and had to use a rental for a month. Like most of our family, Mom has always been independent, and rarely asks for help or advice, even when it would be happily given. She told me she’d found a good deal on a car (about $350 for the thirty days), and everything was taken care of. I told her I was glad she’d been able to handle the issue herself and thought nothing more about it.
Until about a month later . . . When she got the bill on her credit card, the rental company had charged her almost $1300. It seems the nice person who took the reservation strongly suggested she purchase the full insurance coverage (even though her credit card would have covered the car). Mom didn’t quite understand what was being offered, and didn’t think to ask the cost. And like many people, seniors or not, she didn’t want to be disagreeable.
I’ve rented dozens of cars in my travels, and turning down the overpriced insurance (decline, decline, decline!) has become automatic for me. But I realized later that I should have anticipated this aspect of the transaction for my mother. Since then I’ve made it a point to volunteer to make purchases and reservations when there’s a chance of her being confused and/or overcharged. It isn’t always easy, since she’s used to doing things for herself and still believes she can, so I have to assure her I have the time and want to make the effort. Sometimes it helps to point out I have more experience dealing with companies and web sites. Seniors are often targets of deceitful practices, and it’s up to caregivers to be proactive in protecting their finances.
I’ll bet many readers have similar experiences with their parents. We’d love to hear your comments or stories.
Categories: Financial Issues
Tagged: finances, seniors
By Joe Ponepinto
As children we rely on our parents for nurture and safety, guidance and compassion—in short, everything we need to realize our place in the world. For many adults, the roles eventually become reversed, and we can find ourselves caring for the loved ones who raised us, helping them cope with physical and mental infirmities. Those situations can carry not only heavy burdens on our time and finances, they often tax our emotional capacities and affect many other aspects of our lives. Senior Care Stories is a forum designed to help adults who are caring for aging parents cope with feelings and frustrations by allowing them to share their experiences with other caregivers. We also hope that the blog will foster an exchange of helpful tips and information that make the task of senior care a little easier.
According to a recent USA Today/ABC News/Gallup Poll, about 41 percent of baby boomers are helping care for an aging parent, and nearly half of those who aren’t worry about being able to do so in the future. Dozens of books and Web sites have been created to provide medical and professional advice to help them fulfill this obligation. Senior Care Stories, however, seeks to address other needs—to provide practical, day-to-day advice on making the best of a difficult situation, and to create a network of understanding and support among adults dealing with their deteriorating parents.
The editors of Senior Care Stories are also planning to compile the most helpful and poignant comments we receive into a book. The 100 stories in the book will come from a cross-section of people. Each will take a page or two. Some will be humorous, others heartwarming. All will include suggestions for coping with the specific problems of dealing with aging parents, be it a new technique or a new outlook. Help can be as simple as framing a simple trip to the theater as an adventure, or understanding a parent’s need to retain his or her dignity despite failing health or acuity. And all the stories will seek to assure those dealing with aging parents that there are many others going through the same set of emotions, and there are resources to make the journey easier.
More details about the book later.
Categories: Care Givers · General Information · Parenting Your Parents - The Book
Tagged: general, senior health, seniors
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