{"id":13484,"date":"2026-09-21T10:28:32","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T15:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/blog\/?p=13484"},"modified":"2026-09-21T10:28:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T15:28:32","slug":"how-parents-can-prepare-for-conversations-about-aging-and-caregiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/blog\/how-parents-can-prepare-for-conversations-about-aging-and-caregiving\/","title":{"rendered":"How Parents Can Prepare for Conversations About Aging and Caregiving"},"content":{"rendered":"

One day soon your kids will call to tell you that they want to come over to your place just to visit.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t you believe it. That call is the opening salvo in a carefully coordinated campaign.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, your children are descending upon your home for \u201cThe Talk.\u201d It wasn\u2019t something that came to them through divine inspiration; no, they\u2019ve heard a podcast, read an article, or watched a show about how their parents are getting older, and it is time to flip the caregiving role.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are all sorts of materials out there advising adult children how to hold difficult conversations with their aging parents on sensitive topics. Your kids are approaching this visit prepped to the max.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How Parents Can Prepare for \u201cThe Talk\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

No one, however, coaches parents for how to handle their side of The Talk. That seems unfair, so I have prepared the following reference card on things you should do before and during.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Prepare Your Home for Their Visit<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Tidy your home. You will start at a negative position if they see upon arrival your chairs piled high with magazines, a refrigerator holding only mayonnaise and beer, dirty clothes on the floor, and medications in disarray. Hire someone to clean the house and trim the trees before their visit. Pay for it out of their inheritance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Spiff yourself up. A fresh haircut (and shave), clean clothes and fingernails, and a little cologne will do wonders. But don\u2019t go overboard. This is family, after all.<\/span><\/p>\n

Be welcoming. Have cookies and tea ready to serve. Hold the hard liquor for later.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gather Your Important Legal and Medical Information<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Come prepared. Have ready by your side a folder with your estate planning documents:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n