Caring for Aging Parents: What You Need to Know BEFORE a Crisis

Send us Fan Mail Sometimes caregiving begins long before anyone calls you a caregiver. It can begin with a forgotten bill. A house that isn't being kept up the way it once was. A confusing moment that seems funny at first. Or simply that feeling that something with Mom or Dad is... different. So, what should we be noticing BEFORE there's a crisis? On this episode of the Ageless Glamour Girls™ Podcast, host Marqueeta Curtis-Haynes talks with Elder Care Strategist Nicole Hilgenkamp, founder of Your Parents Keeper, a caregiver education company, about how families can prepare for the caregiving journey before a fall, hospitalization, or other emergency forces them into action. After navigating her own caregiving journey with her mother, Nicole created the 7 Phases of Caring for an Aging Parent. She shares what she wishes she'd known, along with practical advice on spotting early changes, starting important conversations, preparing essential documents, understanding different levels of care and their costs, and building a caregiving team before you need one. We also talk about a health issue that can have surprising consequences for older adults: UTIs, and why families should know the signs. And then we turn the conversation around: We're aging, too. What can WE do now to make life easier for the people who may someday have to care for or advocate for us? Whether you're already caring for someone you love, beginning to notice those little changes, or simply thinking ahead, this conversation is a reminder that the best time to prepare for caregiving isn't during the crisis. It's before it.                                 \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\** ***ABOUT OUR GUEST:*  Nicole Hilgenkamp** **Founder, Your Parents Keeper · Elder Care Strategist** With a degree in sociology and 30 years of executive experience in process optimization, change management, and Fortune 100 operations and supply chain, Nicole Hilgenkamp brings a systems-based approach to one of life's most complicated jobs: caring for an aging parent. After experiencing elder care firsthand while caring for her own parents, Nicole founded Your Parents Keeper, a caregiver education company that helps adult children plan for and navigate the physical, emotional, financial, and legal realities of caring for aging parents. ***FOLLOW NICOLE:*** Website: Your Parents Keeper | https://yourparentskeeper.com/                            Free Starter Guide: care4aging.substack.com/embed                                  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourparentskeeper/                                Substack: https://substack.com/@yourparentskeeper                                        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/your-parents-keeper/home/?viewAsMember=true Support the show **Support Ageless Glamour Girls™:** - www.agelessglamourgirls.com - www.linkedin.com/in/marqueetacurtishaynes - https://www.youtube.com/@agelessglamourgirls - https://agelessglamourgirlsboutique.com/ - Instagram @agelessglamourgirls - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agelessglamourgirls - Private (AGG) FB Group: The Ageless Café: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theagelesscafe - TikTok: @agelessglamourgirls - https://www.shopltk.com/explore/AgelessGlamourGirls - Podcast Producers: Ageless Glamour Girls™ and Purple Tulip Media, LLC