The Other "Talk"

70% of those 65 or older will need long-term care services at some point in their lives, and in many cases, their kids will become their caretakers.  People in their later years need to talk to their adult children about this fact, but many may have trouble having that “talk.”

Just like the talk about the birds and the bees, people may have trouble talking about their aging because it’s uncomfortable and it’s hard to face losing control.  But according to Tim Prosch, author of The Other Talk: A Guide to Talking with Your Adult Children About the Rest of Your Life, parents need to at least discuss the following:

• How to pay for long-term care; 
• Where to live if they need to move out of the home;
• Who is going to advocate for their medical needs; and    
• What are their end-of-life instructions.

See Michelle Singletary, Having ‘the Other Talk’ with Your Kids—Not Storks, But Aging, The Washington Post, March 28, 2014.

Special thanks to Naomi Cahn (Harold H. Greene Professor of Law, George Washington University School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.