029: How to Care For Aging Parents with Virginia Morris

Virginia Morris is the author of How to Care For Aging Parents. Originally published in 1996, it has been described as “The bible of eldercare” by ABC World News, “An indispensable book” by AARP, and “A compassionate guide of encyclopedic proportion” by The Washington Post.

With Baby Boomers approaching old age, Virginia’s book is more relevant than ever. I lost both of my parents early to Alzheimer’s, and I know that as parents live longer and further away from their children than ever before, they also can make massive financial mistakes that may impact everyone involved for years to come.

Today, Virginia joins the podcast to share the story of how she went from reporting on healthcare to become the media’s go-to personality on eldercare, the complicated and changing relationships between parents and children as they age, and how to ensure a smooth financial transition through this process.

In this podcast interview, you’ll learn:

• Why Virginia, as a first-time author, wrote How To Care For Aging Parents - and how listening to the stories of hundreds of caregivers across the country set the tone for her book and what information she needed to give her readers.
• The unique challenges we face in an era where many people live longer, but with serious cognitive impairments, how this affects estate planning and financial health, and why you should name someone to oversee your money earlier - rather than later.
• How the book has changed over the course of its three revisions - and why going to the internet for information on sensitive topics isn’t always the best option.
• Why you need to take care of yourself to be a kinder, more patient, and better caregiver.
• What Virginia learned from the media tours behind her book.
• Whether long-term care insurance could be a good investment for your family.

If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to rate and review, and send us all your questions at [email protected] - it may become the topic of an upcoming episode!

Interview Resources

• CareforAgingParents.com
• How to Care for Aging Parents - Get 2 FREE Chapters
• LastPass
• Dashlane