So far, I have created five (5) booklets for caregivers and their families. I have two more in the works. All five are complimentary, available in a PDF format and can be ordered using the form below.
Here is a quick summary of each of the booklets;
Sooner Or Later, It’s Going To Be Your Turn
If you’re not in the caregiver game yet, this list of 19 “caregiver surprises” and how to deal with them will be a real eye-opener. Or you could simply wait to get ambushed and see what happens Your call.
Unlocking the Communication Code of Seniors
“Despite the unprecedented opportunity afforded advisors by an aging population, many find themselves unprepared to successfully communicate with seniors. Instead, they wind up frustrated and confused about “what went wrong” with their best opportunities. While it would be easy to blame this disconnect on the eccentricities of seniors, new research on aging identifies poor signaling based on misinformation as a primary cause of these communication setbacks. Despite their best efforts, advisors wind up sending the wrong message. What can make this better? The good news is that by updating their understanding about the psychology of seniors, advisors can open the door to more productive and rewarding relationships older clients.”
You can’t afford to ignore the communication code of seniors. It is a major “aha moment” in understanding the perspective, behavior and priorities of older adults.
Communicating Tough Choices To Aging Parents
“At some point in the lives of our aging parents things slip out of control. It may be a subtle change over time that finally becomes unmanageable or the sudden arrival of a medical setback. As much as we want them to remain independent, events take them off course and tough decisions need to be made about the quality of their lives. It could be unsafe driving, near accidents at home, poor compliance with medical treatment, financial negligence, or the inability to recover from the loss of a spouse. Regardless of the circumstances, it becomes clear to those who care about them and to those who care for them that something needs to change. The question is how to communicate this urgent and unavoidable need for change?
What is the right approach to navigate these delicate and many times volatile interventions with our aging parents that will minimize the trauma of the tough choice while at the same time give them hope about the future? While there are no easy answers, there are three communication strategies that can improve the chances of our aging parents eventually participating in and successfully surviving these tough choices.”
Framing is everything in these conversations. The framing prompts offered in this booklet are truly transformative.
Caregiver Decision Fatigue
“Caring for aging parents brings with it a new kind of exhaustion called decision fatigue. While its cause has a number of contributing factors, two in particular stand out as primary sources:
• Sustained engagement with dilemmas
• Decision volatility in family systems”
If you don’t know the difference between problems and dilemmas or the characteristics of the complex family systems, you may waiting your time trying to solve the unsolvable and reach consensus where none will ever be found.
Conversations Near The End
“We wish it didn’t come to this, but it does. Someone you care about is at the end of their life. No one knows exactly when but everyone is clear about what’s happening. Now comes the hard part, the conversations that occur before they’re gone. What do you say to those who are leaving? How do you avoid stumbling into uninvited pep talks, dismissive assurances, awkward displays of grief, or embarrassing cliches? Maybe you don’t. None of us are really prepared for conversations near the end. Our emotional vulnerability alone leaves us at a loss for the right words. Fortunately, there are ways to reframe this difficult dialogue that bring comfort and control to the dying. In the end, it’s all about who’s directing the conversation”
Thank you for your advice and experience.