EP: 012
BARBARA NEWMAN-MANNIX
DESIGNING A CARE PLAN FOR YOUR AGING PARENTS
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
Call (914) 475-7225
RESOURCES
Burke Driver Evaluation Program
CONNECT WITH KATHERINE MILLER
The Center for Understanding Conflict
The New Yorker’s Guide to Collaborative Divorce by Katherine Miller
Email katherine@westchesterfamilylaw.com
Call (914) 738-7765