The festive season brings families together in ways few other times of year manage. This creates a valuable opportunity for meaningful conversations about the future. When approached with care and respect, these discussions can provide relief, clarity, and peace of mind for everyone involved. Many adult children hesitate to raise…
Recently in the news, you may have read about an older couple in Brantford, Ontario, who were scammed out of more than $ 1 million over 5 months. And another incident in Victoria, where a man was scammed out of his life savings of almost $ 1.7 million over 6…
When planning ahead, most older people will say they want to stay in their own home until the end of life. While this may be their goal, the reality is that care needs can escalate rapidly and become more complex, requiring specialized caregivers. Depending on the resources available to pay…
This year, our summer weather has extended well beyond its normal time. The roses in the garden are blooming for a third time and with October here, pumpkin spice flavoring is everywhere. It’s time to celebrate the harvest and get ready for Thanksgiving. As you gather with family and friends,…
We are in the midst of a longevity revolution. And we could easily live another 30 or 40 years after retiring from full-time employment. Do you have a plan for smart ageing? Have you considered what quality of life means to you? Just like cognition, mobility, and hearing, vision is…
Life happens. In an instant, you may find yourself as a substitute decision-maker for a person or relative. You may have forgotten you agreed to act as their Attorney for Personal Care. Or in some cases, it comes as a surprise that you have been appointed by a parent or…
Increasingly, families are struggling with hospital discharges, especially for elderly persons with complex care needs. The primary reason is that transition planning is not sufficiently planned for or considered. Before you agree to any discharge for a family member, you must first understand what a high-quality transition plan looks like….
Transitions are not easy for anyone at any age. Reading the Saturday paper today, there were several articles on getting teens ready for campus life as they go off to university or college in a few weeks. Having experienced this in our own family, I scanned the articles based on…
While most of us prefer to avoid the hospital, there may be times when we require acute hospital care. In Canada, we have basic insured health care coverage, which covers the cost of an acute hospital stay. However, discharge home from the hospital, especially with complex care needs, can be…
This blog is the third blog in a series on this topic and is written specifically for family members. In our last blog, Plan for Diminishing Capacity: Pre-dementia Financial Warning Signs – All About Estates, we discussed unusual financial behaviours. If a loved one is missing bills, repeating transactions, or…