This book is a helpful resource for adults of all ages although it is written for older adults as they plan for their future.
The Other Talk helps you take control of your life so when the time comes, your kids can make decisions based on what you want. This ground-breaking guide provides the practical advice and inspiration you need to have open, honest discussions about subjects that can be difficult to talk about. Unlike other books that help adult children who are suddenly thrust into a decision-making role, The Other Talk gives you tools to develop a strong partnership with your kids to plan for the rest of your life.
One of the key tools the reader has the option to create with the help of this book is a notebook with key information for an adult child to care for a parent in case they can no longer care for themselves. The author has provided appendices with resources, checklists, and key questions.
All three of my parents have created a notebook, and all of them have told me where the notebook resides. My parents have confided in me varying amounts of information about what they want. They've shared that information based on their own comfort levels and circumstances.
The presence of the notebook is a comfort to everyone because they know it is there to give me the instruction I need, and I know it is there to provide details when I NEED to know them. Both of us are more in control and we've provided each other with comfort of continuity even if we don't sit down right now and hash out all the details.
A Resource for All Adults
You don't have to wait for your retirement in order to start your notebook. Start yours with information about where your key information lives, stash it, and share the location of the notebook with your person (most likely the same ICE contact in your phone).
You may not have all the answers for your own notebook, yet, and that's just fine. This exercise will give you the questions to ask moving forward so you can develop your own plan and update your book.
Keeping Life Caring and Care-Free
All of this is meant to be an exercise for a more care-free life—it removes some of the burden of the unknown from everyone's mind.
It is also an early exercise in caring for your parents. It is an opportunity to practice the openness you need to have difficult conversations while you can still have those conversations in a calm state of mind.
The only burden after the creation of the notebook is keeping it up to date as life goes on, but that's a relatively small matter.
You can purchase the book from Amazon, Apple iTunes, or Barnes & Noble. You can read more about the book and download a sample chapter from the AARP website.