“This is a terrific book!  David Solie has beautifully integrated his knowledge of child development into later development. His fresh insights into the psychology of older adults combined with his practical approach to improving communication between the generations are to be applauded.”

Richard Krugman, MD, Dean
University of Colorado School of Medicine

---

It's shocking that this book is being marketed merely to professionals who must deal with the vagaries of the senior personality. It's simply the best book on the subject I've read. The author has a huge heart for seniors and those who work with them--professionals, certainly, but also neighbors, friends, children, grandchildren.

If you're looking for a book on how to manhandle or finesse the elderly into doing what you want (even for their own good), then this isn't for you. Solie explains the new goals seniors face as they contemplate their lives--often alone, as peers and spouses die--and the twin conflicting motivations they must wrangle with--the need for control, and the need to let go. Walking us through their worlds--a world that, if we're honest, we can't but guess at--Solie gently prods us to reevaluate WHY we are communicating so poorly, and how we can improve. In the end, it is we who must change, especially our instinct to bully the senior into a more comfortable situation (usually for US, but as always, "for their own good").

Respect, love, sympathy, and cheer shine out of his writing and text. I read it in one sitting, and found myself in tears. Why didn't I have this book when my mother was still alive?

Erica Bell via Amazon

---

David Solie has written a remarkable book - "How to Say It to Seniors: Closing the Communications Gap with our Elders." It's aimed squarely at baby boomers who are attempting to handle the difficulties, frustrations, and guilt they feel as they try to achieve effective communication with their elders. Such attempts often fail because of the different agendas held by the middle-aged and the elderly. Mr Solie has unearthed two principal motives in elderly people's verbal and non-verbal behavior - to maintain control over their lives, and to discover their legacy, or how they will be remembered.

The book's approach is logical. Theory is presented, examples of miscommunication are provided, and solutions (or, at the very least, reasonable alternative approaches) are offered. Mr Solie suggests that the reader looks first at the sections that most directly apply to a particular situation, and then returns to the theoretical underpinnings for adapting their behavior. Everyone - whatever age - can relate to the examples chosen, and I submit that everyone can learn from the solutions offered. The writing is clear, simple, and pithy. I particularly liked the apt quotations used in the chapter headings. As a 73-year-old, I cannot recommend this book too highly.

Robert W. Griffith via Amazon

---

I have read over thirty book offering advice to professionals in the Securities and Planning industry in the last couple of years. This book is by far the most important book I have read. It provides critical advice on how to deal with some of advisors most important clients. Using Solie's advice can help advisors impact peoples lives far beyond their money. Communication with older people has been some of the most difficult conversations I have had professionally and within my own family. I only wish I had read this book when my Mother was still alive.

Rod Hagenbuch via Amazon

---

“Geriatric psychologist Solie does an excellent job of debunking the myth that our elders are merely older versions of ourselves. Seniors are undergoing a developmental transition akin to adolescence; practical, effective communication methods are presented to help minimize generational conflict. This, in turn, paves the way for the important work of advocating for (instead of marginalizing) elders, who face a daily struggle for control. This (book) makes an important contribution to our cultural understanding of seniors."

Douglas C. Lord
Library Journal, September 2004

---

“It doesn’t take too extensive a reading of demographic trends in America to know that David Solie has his finger on the pulse of the future. Unlike other books describing the crisis surrounding the aging issue, which point out myriad problems with no solutions, David actually offers a fundamental practical breakthrough in the most crucial area of all: Communication. His breakthrough has the quality of genius about it. When you read it you smack your forehead and  say, “Well, of course. It’s so obvious!” Millions of readers will have the same response.”

Dan Sullivan, President
The Strategic Coach Inc.

---

“This isn’t theory…it’s field reality…and David gives the reader practical, how-to tips that should resonate with all of us.  This book is a great gift for a financial advisor to give to all clients with senior parents. They’ll thank you for the lessons that they are not going to learn anywhere else.”

Dick Bell, CLU, ChFC, CFP, RHU, REBC, MSFS
President 2004 Society of Financial Service Professionals

---

David Solie's book is full of information, wisdom, illuminating and memorable anecdotes, and practical advice.

James Douglas Pittman, CLU, CFP

---

All baby boomers need to read this book!

Robert W. Griffith, Editor HealthandAge.com

---

Every now and then a new work comes along that once you read it-it forever changes the way you see the world. "How To Say It To Seniors" is one of those rare books.

Charles D. Hayes
Author, Beyond the American Dream: Lifelong Learning and the Search for Meaning in a Postmodern World.

---

The book is wonderful in the dignity it offers the aged. It shows that they are often dealing with clusters of losses and could use support, not hurried answers. Readers will learn that the elderly are not being stubborn or meandering just to be difficult--instead, they are tending to the job of being old.

Book Review, Chicago Tribune, 2004