SandwichINK Book Review: Transitioning Your Aging Parent

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As busy members of the Sandwich Generation, caring for elderly parents and helping with grandchildren, we frequently have mile-long to-do lists and barely enough time for half the items on them. Peace and quiet time to think through what we need to do and what questions we need to be asking to help us with our caregiving duties is rare. So when I can find a good resource to help me in that area, I'm always happy to read it and then share it to help you!

Dale Carter has written a good resource book to help all of us in the Sandwich Generation. "Transitioning Your Aging Parent: A 5 Step Guide Through Crisis & Change" is written for those who are beginning or need to begin transitioning their elderly parents from living independently to having help from family and friends – whether they continue to live alone, move in with us, or move into an assisted living or critical care facility.  Having been caring for elderly parents for some time, though, I was pleased to discover it also had plenty of great tips, tools, and resources for those, like me, who have been in the trenches for awhile.

Dale holds an MBA from Indiana University. She currently works as an advocate for the elderly and their adult children who are caring for them – whether up close or from a distance – through her site, Transition Aging Parents. Dale helps caregivers of all ages through her radio show, e-courses, articles, and presentations. She has been a great resource for me on Twitter and Facebook and is a regular contributor to the Boomers and Seniors: News You Can Use blog carnival full of Boomer and Senior Citizen news that I also contribute to each month and which is periodically hosted right here at SandwichINK, such as the July edition featuring Dale's interview by Patricia Grace, geriatric care specialist, on her Aging With Grace eldercare show.

So many of the books written for senior home care givers seem to be a bit on the clinical and dry side. Not so with Dale's book. I found it very easy to read. It was like sitting on a comfy couch with a good friend, a cup of tea, and a chance to get some wise advice and tips from someone who's already gone through it.

When she started the process of caring for her elderly mom, she took her years of business experience and applied it to caregiving. She developed what she calls the ADAPT process for caregivers. This provides the framework to help you Assess and Discuss As a family, come up with a positive Plan that provides for your senior parents' wants and needs, and then enable your aging parent to make the Transition to this plan. She explains the entire process and provides plenty of ideas and resources to help you with it. 

This seven-chapter book is very easy to understand and I'm looking forward to checking out several new resources from it. For only $14.95 from Amazon, I think Transitioning Your Aging Parent would be a very useful addition to your caregiving library. If you'd like to find out more about it, just click here. 🙂