Wisdom Week Wrap Up-July 20

An aging population spells a caregiving crisis on the horizon

So many great quotes come out of my conversations with my guests! This is a weekly piece with some words that might just get you thinking about your own life.

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This week, some thoughts on caregiving.

According to Caregiver. org, about 34.2 million Americans have provided unpaid care to an adult age 50 or older in the last 12 months.

Now add to this the upcoming needs of nearly 76 million baby boomers and you have a societal and economic event that will impact everyone over the next several decades.

What’s involved in caring for someone as they age? What are the joys and pitfalls?

These three stories offer 3 very different experiences in caregiving.

“Wanting to feel pretty doesn’t end at 90.” - Mark Steven Porro

Mark Steven Porro’s story of leaving his successful bachelor’s life to take care of his mother is a story of love. His mother, once in a semi-comatose state, miraculously recovered after a rogue hospice nurse broke protocol. That was the event that led Mark to take charge of his mother’s care.

Mark learned many things. To slow down; to show empathy; to show his love and gratitude.

Have you ever had to take care of someone ill or aging? How did you handle it? What would you like to have done better?

“Be aware and be prepared.”-Jaclyn Ryan

From financial exploitation to emotional abuse, caregiving, as an industry, has a less than stellar reputation. Jaclyn Ryan discovered this when she found her father’s estate being drained and his emotions manipulated by a caregiver she had hired. It was a daughter’s worst nightmare.

How do you go about screening someone who will become a fairly intimate part of your family life? (Hint: Agencies don’t always do a very good job.) What signs do you look for when it comes to emotional manipulation?

“Houston, we have a problem.”-Leonie Rosenstiel

A will. A power of attorney. A trust. Doesn’t that mean your affairs are in order?

Not at all, as Leonie Rosenstiel found much to her dismay.

Leonie recalls that it all started when:

“I walked in one day to take my mother to lunch. And there was blood all over the kitchen.”

Her mother, a college professor and a capable woman who supervised 1,000 women in the Women’s Air Corps during World War II, could no longer care for herself.

In an effort to help, Leonie sought out the counsel of an attorney. What happened next turned into a legal quagmire that would take years and many tens of thousands of dollars to unwind.

What do you know about legal guardianship? Do you know how it can be legally used to take your family business? Can you really trust your attorney, much less the courts? And what can you do about it?