How to Care for Aging Parents

How do you find a nursing home? And can you pay for it? Are you eligible for any financial help from the government? How do you find a good doctor? What is the power of attorney and when do you need it? How do you avoid becoming your parent's "parent"?

Virginia Morris, a health-care journalist who cared for her own father through a terminal illness, has taken a tough subject and turned it into a smart, compassionate, timely book for everyone with aging parents. It's all here-the emotional, medical, financial, and legal issues.

She covers what is normal in old age and what is not, and how to avoid "ageism"-the attitude (prevalent even among doctors) that infirmities of the elderly are just part of getting old. She shows how to redefine your relationship with your parent, leaven it with humor, and temper it with reduced expectations. How to make a parent's world easier to see, easier to hear, easier to get around in. How to cope with incontinence and other physical disorders. What to expect of a parent with dementia or Alzheimer's, and what to do about it. How to provide home care-everything from putting together an easy-to-dress wardrobe to installing grab bars and reflective tape. And how to get professional help, from cleaning services to meals-on-wheels to full-time skilled nursing. Winner, Books for a Better Life Award and a selection of the Rodale Book Club Featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, CNN, CBS and other national programs. Over 123,000 copies in print.