Parents just don’t understand. But neither do adult children! If you have concerns about keeping an aging parent safe, you may be tempted to take over and start making the decisions for them. But Barbara Newman-Mannix argues that there are ways to compromise on common sense solutions that afford your parents their autonomy AND ensure their well-being.

Barbara is the founder of A Dignified Life, a company that helps individuals and families develop care plans for elders and family members with special needs. They assess safety, cultural influences and family dynamics to address individual needs and connect families with the necessary social service professionals, attorneys and benefits specialists. Barbara’s interest in the field stems from her experience navigating the health care, insurance, legal and financial challenges she faced when her husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She established A Dignified Life to fill that gap in the market and help adult children better manage their parents’ lives with compassion and respect.

Today, Barbara joins Katherine to discuss the challenges families face in communicating with aging parents. She walks us through the role A Dignified Life plays in facilitating conversation around care and how their service encourages compromise between parents and their adult children. Barbara addresses the issue of driving, offering insight around using third-party resources to look at the situation objectively. Listen in to understand the distinction between dementia and age-appropriate forgetfulness and learn how A Dignified Life can help you and your parents grow into your new roles.

Topics Covered

How Barbara’s husband’s cancer diagnosis led to her work with A Dignified Life

The value in organizing a family meeting to determine the needs of an aging parent

Why A Dignified Life makes the parents ‘the star of the show’

How Barbara helps families by facilitating the conversation around care

How adult children struggle with allowing their parents to make decisions

The significance of treating aging parents with dignity and respect

How to address the issue of driving with an aging parent

• Employ third-party resources for objective view

• Look at physical evidence (condition of car)

The distinction between dementia and age-appropriate forgetfulness

How to deal with physical limitations when you are cognitively sound

Connect with Barbara Newman-Mannix

A Dignified Life: https://www.adignifiedlife.com/

Call (914) 475-7225

Resources

Burke Driver Evaluation Program: https://www.burke.org/outpatient/services/occupational-therapy/driver-evaluation

Connect with Katherine Miller

The Center for Understanding Conflict: http://understandinginconflict.org/

Miller Law Group: https://westchesterfamilylaw.com/

Katherine on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kemiller1

The New Yorker’s Guide to Collaborative Divorce by Katherine Miller: https://www.amazon.com/New-Yorkers-Guide-Collaborative-Divorce/dp/0692496246

Email: [email protected]

Call (914) 738-7765