How do balance respecting a parent's age and experience and treating them well when they aren't acting their age? Sorry for the length. I am not sure how to make it shorter. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 2, 2013 - 19 answers

My wife's mom is a widow of advancing age. She lives alone in Eastern Europe, in a country with universal health care. (More or less... thanks, austerity!) As she is getting older, we're starting to worry about her living over there, both because of quality of care and because the day that she's no longer suited to live by herself seems approaching. We live in the US and would like to bring her over here permanently. Putting aside immigration questions, how do we get health insurance for her? [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown on Mar 12, 2013 - 8 answers

My Dad is in his late 60's and through some combination of age, TIA's, and overmedication, he is at some times out of it and inappropriate, and at all times tired and lethargic. My Mom is struggling horribly with this as she's unwilling to see herself entirely as a caretaker, and she enables him with regards to alcohol and drugs, and beats up on herself over things she can't control. I'd like to support her and give her good guidance without being overly harsh. [more inside]
posted by ftm on Jan 31, 2013 - 10 answers

How do I bank my sperm for potential future parenting desires? [more inside]
posted by Borborygmus on Oct 19, 2012 - 4 answers

How to talk to my mother about her encroaching dementia? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 5, 2012 - 14 answers

Back in the days of yore, my (almost) 77 year old father was quite the geek and maker, but never a programmer. Fast- forward to today and he can no longer work on big building projects and spends much of his time with his iPad and TV. We've been discussing what kinds of "doing" projects he'd like to work on, but the obvious contender of an Arduino is maybe a little difficult as I'm not in Australia to help him out with the programming side of things. What great projects have you known senior geeks to get into? [more inside]
posted by pipstar on May 9, 2012 - 8 answers

My poor, overworked, lonely, non-English-speaking immigrant mother is approaching 50. Her daily existence is a living hell. Short of winning the lottery, what can I do to improve her quality of life? [more inside]
posted by Nomyte on Feb 29, 2012 - 23 answers

What are some techniques to help reluctant adult learners and technophobes (read: my parents) become more confident and want to use things? Or, if not, what are some good ways to help them help themselves? [more inside]
posted by Madamina on Oct 13, 2011 - 12 answers

Who knows best for an aging parent? [more inside]
posted by justkevin on Jul 13, 2011 - 17 answers

How do I stop having extreme anxiety when I think about the fact that I live 1,500 miles away from aging parents? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 25, 2011 - 21 answers

Pls. help us be better prepared to advocate for my dad's medical care. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 3, 2011 - 6 answers

I have to put my mother into a care facility (and wow, they're expensive!). How do I thoroughly check out whether or not one will be good for her before allowing my mother anywhere near the place? I live about 2 hours away and plan to check it out but want to do as much legwork as I can beforehand. Thanks for the help.
posted by miss lynnster on Aug 23, 2010 - 17 answers

My still young-ish mother is having some health issues. I'm far away, but want to help and be supportive. What can you recommend? [more inside]
posted by olinerd on May 21, 2010 - 5 answers

Can you direct me to some books, online resources, forums, or other tips to deal with an aging parent who has narcissistic personality disorder? [more inside]
posted by raztaj on Mar 4, 2010 - 3 answers

What tools and other handy things are useful for aging parents? [more inside]
posted by Ostara on Feb 23, 2010 - 20 answers

The short version: mom's morphed into a reclusive, depressive, heavily-medicated, quasi-narcoleptic shell of a woman. She's given up on life and herself. More disturbingly, she's burned holes in hundreds of household items (carpets, floors, computer keyboards) after falling asleep while smoking. It's a recipe for tragedy(s) - fires, skull fractures, etc. We want a better life for her (or hell, any life at all, given the fire hazards). What can we do? [more inside]
posted by julthumbscrew on Jan 8, 2009 - 24 answers

I need tips to help my mom keep her mind engaged and active, despite her vision problems. Help? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 1, 2008 - 14 answers

What sorts of jobs might my retirement-age father be able to pursue to keep up with expenses? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 14, 2008 - 17 answers

How can I find my parents a gerontologist in Michigan? [more inside]
posted by ursus_comiter on May 19, 2007 - 9 answers