There comes a time when it's the kid's turn to take care of mom and dad. Here's how to broach this sensitive subject with your parents. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
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You're listening to lifekit from NPR.
Hey, everybody, it's Marielle.
There is this painful kind of expectant but still shocking reality in life.
When your parents reach a certain age, they may no longer be able to take care of themselves physically or financially.
Sometimes that moment comes way sooner than you expect.
Cameron Huddleston's mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at age 65.
I was only 35, and we had not had detailed conversations about her finances until she was experiencing memory loss.
And I learned that that's about time to have those conversations.
Whether you're stepping in as a full time caretaker or just helping out around the margins, you need to know the full financial picture to pay your parents bills or pay for care.
It's a bad idea to wait until there's an emergency that forces you to have those conversations because your emotions are going to be all over the place when there's that emergency, and it's a lot harder to have a rational conversation.
Cameron's a journalist, and her experience led her to write a book called mom and Dad.
We need to talk how to have essential conversations with your parents about their finances.
Cameron has a ton of advice on how to go about this.
Like don't expect to whip out a checklist and get all the answers in one sitting.
I would encourage people not to sit your parents down and grill them for hours.
This doesn't happen in one conversation.