Our Turn to Parent

Book excerpt: No one can anticipate what it will be like for you the day you discover you must become a caregiver for one or both of your parents. As you begin to care for them, you will be filled with questions and looking for advice. Our Turn to Parent shows you how to work with your parent to become their caregiver and their champion, and it provides the tools you need to make decisions and feel confident that you are doing right by your aging parents. With stories from real lives, it also offers honest and personal anecdotes about surviving these trying times. Our Turn to Parent is the best and most thorough caregivers’ guide available in Canada today. Our Turn to Parent offers practical advice on •deciding when you need to step in and help •developing the caregiver relationship with your parents •discussing with the family your parents’ hopes and plans for the future •adapting the home so that it is safe and comfortable for their evolving needs •finding appropriate care and help in your community •choosing the right place for your parent to live should independent living no longer be possible •navigating the medical system •organizing your parents’ finances before they become incapacitated •making clear your parents’ personal care and end-of-life wishes •caring for yourself “I have found the last few years to be the most challenging in my life and the most fulfilling…. I have laughed with my mother and cried with my mother, but most of all I have been there for her as she was for me as I was growing up.”–A Caregiver’s Story