Today I have the great pleasure of being the host on Day 9 of the Virtual Blog Tour of author Carolyn A. Brent whose book Why Wait? The Baby Boomers’ Guide to Preparing Emotionally, Financially and Legally for a Parent’s Death launches on Amazon on Tuesday November 15, 2011.
Author Carolyn A. Brent, M.B.A. is a former clinical educational manager in the pharmaceutical industry. She is an avid activist and advocate working with the U.S. Congress for the purpose of creating change to protect seniors and veterans from financial and medical abuse. She has appeared on many local and national TV and radio shows, and is a sought-after keynote speaker.
Yesterday, Carolyn visited Tom Wilson at http://www.caregiverpartnership.com , where they talked about talking with your parents/siblings and elderly nutrition.
Today, I’d like to share with you a recent interview I had with Carolyn when I got to ask her some questions on writing the book and a couple on smoothing certain emotional conversations.
Joyce Joneschiet: What is your personal story that led you to write this book?
Carolyn A. Brent: I tried for many years to have the conversation about our father’s health. My siblings just flat out refused to have the crucial conversation with me, each other, about our father. My siblings were simply too busy with their own lives, and so we put it off. In our case, this led to an extremely bad outcome.
Twelve years later when my dad had an unexpected sudden emergency to save his life, I found myself in probate court because my family thought there was money to be had. The family member filed charges against me in three different counties only standing before each judge to drop the charges and run to another county with the same charges. I could have sued for defamation of character. But, I chose to point out the flaws within our judicial system to protect the law abiding caregiver and seniors.
The more research I did, the more committed I became to spreading the important message that planning is critical, and families must begin talking to one another as early as possible. For the past few years I’ve travelled across the country giving lectures at churches and to members of organizations with an interest in these issues, and I’ve spoken with numerous family caregivers. I set up CaregiverStory.com to disseminate resources to help family caregivers. I’ve gone on radio and television. I’ve worked to pass new laws in Congress. Now I’ve written Why Wait?
Joyce Joneschiet: What are some steps that can smooth the crucial emotional conversations parents, siblings and other family members must have?
Carolyn A. Brent: It is very important to talk about and prepare all legal paper work. (Will, Medical Directive, Power of Attorney, Trust)
Grown siblings also need to have conversations with one another about caregiving for an aging parent. Obviously age alone is not the reason children would need to step in and begin to manage a parent’s life. A healthy elderly person does not require a caregiver. However, the need for family caregiving typically increases as the parent ages, and in responding to that need siblings should ideally work together early rather than late.
Joyce Joneschiet: What are some steps that can smooth the crucial financial conversations parents, siblings and other family members must have?
Carolyn A. Brent: Money can be a sticky subject. People have different feelings about money. Some are open about their finances. Others feel ashamed about the condition of their finances. Some think it’s rude to talk about money. When it comes to planning for the future needs of an aging parent, however, conversations about how to pay for housing, medicine, and care are crucial. The costs of care at the end of life can grow to be massive. Without insurance and a plan for how your family intends to handle different contingencies, you could be setting yourself up for problems down the road. That being said, all of your parent’s assets could easily be wiped out with just a one-month stay in a hospital if they were paying for it exclusively through private insurance.
I hope you enjoyed this interview with Carolyn A. Brent and that you’ll check out her book Why Wait? The Baby Boomers’ Guide to Preparing Emotionally, Financially and Legally for a Parent’s Death at http://www.babyboomersguide.org/book-launch/pre-launch.html
Here Are Two Reasons Why:
FREE 3-DAY PASS
When you visit the page at the link above and request a “launch reminder”, you will automatically receive a FREE pass to Carolyn’s 3-day “Why Wait? Telesummit”, with a panel of leading experts (including ME!) preparing emotionally, financially and legally for the death of a parent. You can listen to the telesummit online in the comfort of your own home, and even ask questions during the broadcast. I’ll be speaking TODAY at 12:00 PST so register right away!
This telesummit is a completely free
“no purchase necessary” gift from Carolyn
To register, go to
http://www.babyboomersguide.org/book-launch/telesummit.html
FREE GIFTS
When you buy Carolyn’s book on Tuesday November 15, 2011, you can ALSO receive a complete library of beautiful personal development gifts from authors, speakers, coaches and other enlightened professionals from around the globe.
To claim your 3-Day Pass and read about the free gifts, go to:
http://www.babyboomersguide.org/book-launch/pre-launch.html
I also have a special offering for those who read this post! Click here now to find out about my contribution!
AND… be sure to follow Carolyn tomorrow when the next stop on the Virtual Blog Tour is Yvonne Perry, who will be doing a podcast interview with Carolyn. To visit that “stop” on the tour, go to http://weareoneinspirit.blogspot.com
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