ElderCare Transitions

Let’s talk about... HOPE!  In most instances, we love the term “hope” – it exudes positive thoughts and feelings.  Hope can be a promise, a wish, a dream – but it cannot be a strategy.  So many times when we talk with our parents – or even our contemporaries – we include the word hope & aging in the same sentence.  Stop and think for a moment…

Did you plan for the purchase of your home by saying “I hope we can afford this.” Or “I hope we like the house.”

Did you plan your family and possibly a college education for your children by saying “I hope we can support them.” OR “I hope they turn out OK.”

The truth is, you probably did HOPE for all of the above – but you also had a plan in place for these life-changing events.  Many of us have a plan for retirement – but how many of us have a plan for AGING?  And more importantly, have we included others in our plan?

That brings me back to hope & aging - and what I hear from so many of my friends and clients:

• “Well, I hope the money lasts as long as I do”
• “Well, I hope to be able to leave something to my kids”
• “Well, I hope to be able to stay in my home forever”
• “Well, I just hope one day I just don’t wake up.”

If you have thought or even uttered any or all of the above, you are not alone.  But you also need to understand that HOPE is not a strategy.

You need to talk to the people you love, the people that matter, the people that care – and make a plan.  Planning in crisis is rarely a good plan.  Find the time to talk about how you want to age…and then talk about what will happen if it doesn’t turn out the way you HOPE it does. 

If you need help starting the conversation, let’s talk!