What to Expect When Your Parents are Aging
No one is prepared for the reality of aging parents. We can help.
Details
When: 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, and 10/28
6:00-7:30 PM
Where: Hospicare, 11 Kennedy Parkway, Cortland NY 13045 or virtually (register for link)
Cost: FREE
To register, please use the button below or call (607) 272-0212.
Most of us don't think much about our parents getting older until we absolutely have to. Often it's a fall or a hospital stay, and we find ourselves trying to navigate hard conversations and big decisions, usually while we're still juggling work and kids of our own.
This free four-part series is a chance to get ahead of that. It's for adults whose parents are healthy and independent today, or maybe just a step slower than they used to be, and who want to understand what's ahead before they're in the middle of it. Over four weekly sessions, we'll cover the emotional side of having aging parents, the health changes that often come with age, the paperwork and decisions that should be completed in advance, and where hospice fits when the time comes. Each session includes a presentation and time for questions and conversation with others in a similar stage of life.
Four Weeks of Expert-Led Sessions
Offered in-person at the Hospicare office in Cortland or virtually (register to receive the link).
Week 1: What to Expect. The Health and Medical Realities of Aging
Some changes are a normal part of getting older. Others are signs of something more serious. This session covers how to tell the difference, how conditions like dementia, heart failure, COPD,
and cancer tend to progress, and which questions to bring to your parent's doctor. You'll also learn what palliative care is, how it differs from hospice, and how families think through the
point where comfort becomes the priority.
Week 2: You're Not Alone. The Emotional Realities of Having Aging Parents
Having aging parents brings up feelings many of us don't expect, sometimes long before anything changes. Guilt and worry are common, and so is tension with siblings over who
will do what. This session makes room for those feelings. We'll talk about how to start hard conversations with parents and siblings, and why taking care of yourself is part of taking care of
them.
Week 3: Getting the Paperwork Done. Legal, Financial, and Advance Care Planning (In Collaboration with Andrew Smith, a Local Financial Advisor)
Too often, families find out in a crisis that the right documents were never signed. This session walks through the ones that matter most: a health care proxy, power of attorney, a will, and
the MOLST form (Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment), including what each one does and doesn't cover. We'll also look at how Medicare and Medicaid relate to long-term care costs and
how to spot financial exploitation. You'll get practical words for talking with your parent about their wishes, and a head start on organizing your family's important papers.
Week 4: When the Time Comes. Understanding Hospice and End-of-Life Care
The final session explains what hospice care is, who it's for, and what it looks like day to day for a patient and family. We'll cover when to call, what Medicare pays for, and why an earlier
call gives families more time with the full support of a hospice team.
This program is for you, wherever your parents are in their aging journey.
You don't need to be facing a crisis, or even seeing signs of one, to come. In fact, this program was designed to provide a foundation of understanding before anything is urgent, when you can ask questions without a decision hanging over you and talk with your parents on your own timeline. You'll leave knowing what to watch for and which documents to have in place. You'll also know who to call when you need help and what services are available, which for many people, can be the greatest relief of all.
Special thanks to the Cortland Community Foundation for their sponsorship of this event.