Opinion: To start the year right have ‘the talk’ with your aging parents

We want to be forever vital, self-sufficient and powerful, like the vampires of “Twilight,” and we are fearful of aging into the semi-sentient zombies of “The Walking Dead.” The good news is, when it comes to thinking about how we age, taking action early significantly increases one’s odds for a better result and aging on our own terms.

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So, as you think about the new year and you get together with your family, let’s have “the talk” — the adult version of the birds and the bees — a discussion of how we want to care for our parents and how we ourselves, in the prime of our lives, want to age, and how to accomplish those goals with long-term care planning.

More important than how we choose to plan ahead is that we chose to do it. Getting the advice we need starts with taking the time to sit down with loved ones and have the necessary talk about how we want to age.

Sure, it’s not exactly a traditional conversation for the new year, but having it is an indication of your care and an articulation of your love. In that light, this time of year is the perfect time to have the talk about long-term care. If you’re watching vampires and zombies, like my family will be, go ahead and take advantage of that next commercial break to have “the talk.”

CNN