So Much to Talk About

Grace talks about issues related to eldercare on her weekly Blog Talk Radio program. “I try and look at services and programs and topics that are germane to a working caregiver and the elderly,” she said. Among the many subjects have been Alzheimer’s disease, assisted living communities, brain fitness programs, financial services, housing for seniors, hospice, the “silver tsunami” (boomers heading into old age), and social networking as a tool for eldercare providers. She has interviewed Silver Planet founder Florence Klein and a number of authors as well.

Grace doesn’t speak from only her business experiences—she speaks from personal experience.

“When people call and say, ‘You don’t know,’ we really do know,” Grace says. “I have my own eldercare issues.” But her mother reminds her, “I’m not one of your clients.” Her mother’s mantra is, “They’re gonna carry me out of this house feet first.” Grace knows it’s hard to introduce to loved ones the possibility that they’re not as independent as they think. So when someone asks her how to talk with a mother about not driving anymore, she responds, “Been there and done that.”

And she knows the challenges are not going to let up. Before Christmas this year, she was hosting a small dinner party, when her mother abruptly left the table and went to the bathroom, where she “had explosive diarrhea.” Besides suddenly facing a mess to clean up and the embarrassment on both of their parts, Grace said, “I honestly thought my mother was dying. It was a nightmare.

“These are things we’re going to have to deal with, if we live long enough. So we try and deal with it with as much dignity as possible.”