I am available for public speaking engagements, workshops or one on one consultations. Below is a sample of some of the topics that I receive the majority of requests for by clients. All of these can be tailored to meet the needs of your group, i.e. lunch and learn or a deep dive into these topics. One on one is at your pace and direction. Please send email request for fee structure.

Are you a Solo Senior?

I first heard this term a few years ago and typically, it refers to seniors who are aging alone. They have no spouse or partner, and no children to step into the role of care-giver. In fact, AARP recently estimated that 20% of the aging population or 8.6 million people older than 65 are now “orphans” or at risk of becoming an elder orphan. By the year 2050, this number will mushroom to 16 million or higher.  That is a lot of baby boomers coping with aging alone with little to no family support.  This number does not even count those adult children who are unwilling or incapable of providing care to their aging parents.  

 What can you do now to be potentially prepared?  Is there a strategy that will allow you to age successfully and remain independent for as long as possible? I can help you work through the options and explore the possible solutions.

Making sense of Senior Living - decoding the alphabet soup of Senior Care; CCRC, IL, AL, ADL…

Evaluating the choices

This workshop will outline the differences between various retirement communities, continuing care retirement communities or CCRC's, assisted living, and communities without walls. It will also review the option of staying in your home and using community resources instead of relocating.  Costs for all these options will also be discussed. This hour and a half workshop is designed to help you start exploring a change in your home or care or perhaps plan for the future or help formulate a plan for your parents. It will also give you some tools to help you explore what is available in your area so you can make informed decisions.

Long Distance Care Giving: How to Make the Impossible Possible

WHAT TO DO BEFORE A CRISIS!

This hour and a half work shop is for anyone who already is,  or anticipates they will be, a long     distance care giver. We will review all the steps you can take to be prepared for the inevitable if you live far from your aging parents and they do not want or can't relocate closer to you, or you to them.  I will walk you through a list of steps to take that will have you far better prepared when (not if) an emergency situation arises or you have to make quick decisions due to a medical emergency. We will look at how to find the resources you need now or will need in the future to ensure you loved one gets good quality care in their home or in their community. We will also discuss the latest technological advances you can utilize long distance that is the next best thing to being there!

What is the advantage of A LIFE CARE COMMUNITY?

This workshop if for anyone thinking about moving to a Continuing Care Retirement          Community. There are as many different contracts within the C.C.R.C.world as there are varieties of apples!  Many are similar but there are huge variations. We will go over some industry definitions of what is a Type A,B, or C contract and how you can be sure you ask the right questions of ANY community you are considering. This workshop will give you the confidence of knowing you will have every advantage that an industry insider will share with you and most importantly, the right questions to ask as a potential resident! Time: two hours

Critical Financial and Medical Information Needed to Navigate Your Parents Senior Years.

What info will we need to be prepared?

This workshop will focus on the list of absolutely critical information you need to have both          medically AND financially if you want to spare yourself major distress as your parents age. We         cannot predict the future except that we do know we will all age, likely have medical challenges, and various end of life experiences. Help your parents be prepared and help yourself  be prepared NOW by organizing a lot of very important information that will make the difference between keeping your sanity or going over the edge. If one of your parents developed severe memory loss, had a stroke or passed away suddenly, you might not be able to get the information you need. I guarantee that after taking this workshop you will have a list of what you need to know because what you don't know will hurt you!   Time: 1.5 hours

Having “The Conversation:” How to Discuss End of Life Issues with Your Parents

Best approaches for broaching this critical conversation

This one hour workshop will give you concrete tools to having a very difficult discussion with your parents. How do you find out what their end of life wishes are? Have they completed a Living Will or assigned a Health Care surrogate? What if everyone in the family does not agree?  You can't wait for a crises to try and talk with someone already hospitalized.  We will discuss ways to open the door to having this conversation that is non-confrontational, and how to involve other family members so there is consensus before an emergency or medical crisis.

Memory Loss: Preparing For What May Come

What do you do when your loved one can no longer remember?

Nobody ever wants to imagine that they or their loved ones will experience severe memory loss. But the statistics are sobering. If you knew there were steps you could take to be prepared or steps you can take with an early stage diagnosis, you would not hesitate. This workshop will lay out a systematic approach to doing what you can now to be prepared should the diagnosis ever happen to you or a loved one. While it also covers critical medical and financial information ( another workshop) this workshop will focus on legal questions relating to incapacitation and options to consider for the future if a worsening diagnosis is anticipated.