Eldercare 101: A Practical Guide to Later Life Planning, Care, and Wellbeing

by Mary Jo Saavedra

The Silver Tsunami is upon us as elder care and crisis management reaches a tipping point with the graying of America. By 2020, 54 million people in the U.S. will be over the age of 65; by 2030, that number will top 80 million. Feeling the squeeze of multi-generational home demands, children of aging parents are struggling to learn innovative eldercare management strategies and often find themselves overwhelmed by the many facets of caregiving. Eldercare 101 is the answer to making order from chaos. As a guide covering all aspects of aging and end-of-life in one place, caregivers will no longer spend endless nights trying to decode the Internet trail--confused, uncertain, and fearful of what they’re missing. Whether they are proactively planning ahead or need to have fast answers, this comprehensive, technology-rich resource presents steppingstones for the Sandwich Generation as they navigate caring for aging parents, grandparents, friends, and other family members.

Eldercare 101 is a well-researched, organized, easy-to-understand guide for families desperately in need of help as they care for their aging loved ones. The book is organized into “6 pillars of aging wellbeing”: legal, financial, living environment, social, medical, and spiritual. Each pillar is explored by an expert and offers best practices and tips for evaluating choices, making decisions, and living well wherever the road might lead.

Genres: Nonfiction

310 pages, Paperback

Published December 4, 2017

About the author

Mary Jo Saavedra is a nationally recognized speaker and trainer on life planning and care management. She consults with companies for AgeTech UX, financial services life planning platforms, and aging services program development. She is the owner of Fireside Group, LLC in Naples, Florida, where she’s actively designing her own later-life planning through her beach life with family and friends. With a passion for integrated life design and elder care, Mary Jo is dedicated to elevating systems that support the whole person and create resilience through purpose, connection, and meaning. Using her Home Life Design™ process with her Six Pillars of Aging Wellbeing™ framework, she helps elders choose how they will live with the opportunities and challenges in the second half of life.

Mary Jo has additional certifications in aging-in-place, senior advising, and spiritual direction. In addition, Mary Jo has thirty years of professional experience across multiple industries including high-tech, finance, nonprofit, healthcare, and wellbeing.

Reviews

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been looking for any information I can find on elder care. There is not much information available. Most of the literature is sponsored by the programs they are selling, with no comparable or general information. This book solved a lot of the questions I had and gave me information that I had not even known I needed. It's important when making major decisions for your loved ones to have as much information as you can find. This book is a valuable resource. Read it then make sure everyone around you reads it too.

[Psusan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am in the middle of caring for an aging parent so this book, Eldercare 101 - A Practical Guide to Later Life Planning, Care, and Wellbeing is of prime interest to me. Mary Jo Saavedra has written a caring, compassionate look at the many aspects and issues of providing elder care here in the states.

We thought we had cover the needed areas such as Power of Attorney, etc. before a stoke took my parent’s mental and physical health but I wished I had this book months earlier. It is never too soon to start. Start with this book. Clearly laid out with helpful information.

The publisher through Net Galley provided an ARC. I have voluntarily decided to read and review, giving my personal opinions and thoughts.

[AnnieM · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those of us with aging parents or for ourselves who want to be better prepared, this book is full of great information, resources, tips and tools. The book is organized around six pillars of aging wellbeing - legal, living environment, spiritual, social, medical and financial. I particularly liked the "My Village Map" which shows these 6 pillars with examples of support people in each of these pillars. The book provides useful definitions such as what an Advanced Health Directive is vs. a Physician Order for Life Sustaining Treatment, etc. This is a practical reference guide that will help me as I navigate and support my aging parents.

Thank you to Netgalley and Rowman & Littlefield for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive and very readable guid to eldercare. If you are in this position with a family member, you need this book. And if you are approaching old age yourself, this is a good book to peruse to see what issues you may be facing, what steps you can take, and what your options may be.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's a good one for the reference shelf in any home.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

362.63 2016 excellemt resourxe for the soon to be caregiver..or for planning ahead for the 50 to 70 crowd Newer alternative housing ideas current . Lots on the shelf is old school..really old school

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is someone you know dying...
Will someone you know die...
Will you want to make your dying easier for others...

Lots of sensible information, wished i had found this sooner.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously not a feel good read, but it did give some good information. Feel slightly better now that I have a bit of a clue on the subject.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not read - scanned over several sittings. Pretty good, but many of the details are targeted at Americans (naturally as it's an American book!) some interesting options I'd never seen and that I will follow up on in the Canadian context.

[Bridget · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good resources, but I felt this was targeted at families with a lot more financial resources than the majority of people who would struggle with caring for elders. If my dad had a 401k I probably wouldn't need to be reading this book, yet it seemed targeted at that population.