How do I talk to my parents about getting older?

What I tried….

Having a really open conversation about what was on my mind. I didn’t make a big deal out of it – otherwise Dad would have gone off the deep end. I just shared what I was feeling. I made sure it was at a good time – after the footy had finished and got the support of my wife who helped me get started.

What I thought about….

I wanted to choose the best time so both Mum and Dad would be receptive (so I waited until Dad’s footy team won! – Mum and I are a lot closer as well so I had a brief conversation with her first to get some tips about how to tackle this delicate topic with Dad – he’s pretty independent and still doing fine. Mum suggested talking to Dad about how he cared for Granny.

What I said….

My parents had cared for Dad’s Mum so talking about that situation and what worried them was a good conversation starter.

I made sure that it was just an opening conversation and shared with them my ultimate goal should something happen was to do my absolute best to make sure things went the way they wanted. In order to do that, this conversation and more like it were necessary.

A bit about my me & my caring situation

My parents are in their early 70s and although they are in good health now some of my friends parents are starting to head down hill and I’m worried at what might happen if the same happens to mine. I want to think a bit about it now.