Next, you should take a look at what your expenses will look like once you retire. Inflation is also a concern so try have your post retirement income at least 3% above what your expenses are to compensate. Your expenses will be based upon what you will need once you retire as well as what you want. You have to make sure that your retirement income will be able to support these expenses. Social security can act as a great extra benefit for pensions or savings, but it should never be relied on. Each year you will receive a copy of what benefits your social security will provide. Double check for any problems then take these benefits and add them to those previously mentioned.

Also, look into your company’s pension plan. There is a good chance it has been converted to a contribution plan. Meet with your company’s benefits administrator and see what kind of income you will get once you retire. It is important to make sure exactly how much you will be getting from them. Also, you need to start spending more wisely, as achieving a perfect retirement is quite difficult in today’s world and it is getting harder. You can really improve your retirement savings by doing even little things such as buying cheaper non-brand products. Though it may not seem like much, in the end it all really does add up.

One final thing to consider is how you invest your money. It vital to invest wisely and never rush into any plan. Make sure you do the necessary research before making a commitment and be prepared to review your investments and make adjustments.

Will you be able to cope financially? This would involve savings and pension plans. Are you going to finish up with enough to keep up your present standard of living or are you going to have to cut back to enable you to make ends meet? It is never too early to start working out what your income is going to be after you are presented with your final pay check.

In today’s recession hit times there are many people’s pension plans reducing every week due to the investment markets volatility. There are no guarantees any more. The amount you were told you would receive when you entered the pension plan agreement is more than likely nothing like the amount you are likely to receive when the boys in the stock markets have finished trading with your funds. Have you had your yearly update yet? Did it bring tears to your eyes? It wouldn’t surprise me.

Have you prepared for retirement? If you haven’t fully prepared yourself you are likely to feel like a fish out of water. There will seem to be a void in your life and you will probably have difficulty in putting your finger on what is causing these feelings. It will almost feel that there is little point in doing anything any more. It’s quite normal when a large part of your life has been almost ripped away and there is nothing to replace it.

If you have had a hobby, interest or sport then you are probably better prepared than those who have dedicated their life to their job and career and have nothing to fall back on. If you are one of these perhaps now is the time to consider something to fill your new found freedom. There are many things that you could do, perhaps even related to your last job. Remember that charity organisations are always willing to use your talents for a few hours a week.

Finally, you might consider a completely new career on the internet. These days there are numerous older people who are quite capable of utilising the power of the internet to earn extra money. It is nowhere as difficult as some people would have you believe. If you are reading this article you evidently have access to the major tools necessary to start, a computer and an internet connection.

You will be surprised at how much is available on the net to help you start for absolutely nothing. You can certainly get to the stage where you will be able to decide if this could be for you before you spend anything. I’ve found it educational, very interesting and it is becoming profitable. It’s not all that long ago when I myself would have thought that I would be able to do all that I can do now. It’s all down to good training and patience. Try it yourself for free!

It seems simple enough. Your father said he can’t drive anymore so he needs someone to help him with shopping. Unfortunately, it’s easy to misinterpret what’s really needed. Does your father need someone to take a grocery list, go shopping and drop groceries off in the kitchen? Or does he need someone to stop by, pick him up, wait outside while he shops, bring him back, and drop him off? Does he need someone to go in the store and shop with him? For him? Help unpack and put the groceries away?

People make assumptions about what to do and how to help-and don’t get enough detailed information for the assistance to be acceptable to person needing assistance. To avoid these mistakes, and the complaints and cycle of hiring and firing in-home aides, get a complete picture of what your parents want help with. Begin the conversation by focusing first on a single, simple issue like shopping.

Because an apparently simple task like shopping is actually a series of smaller tasks, we have broken each topic into its components. Explore these details with your parents to learn what they really mean when they say “I think I want help shopping for groceries.” The detail may seem excessive to you, but it will make your parents feel understood and allow you to train the helper in acceptable assistance so his/her tenure will exceed a nanosecond.

• Shopping for groceries
Some people enjoy grocery shopping and would miss the activity. They may like the social connection of seeing and talking to other people in the store; they may enjoy slowly wandering down the aisles looking at and feeling the fresh fruits and vegetables, or they may want to keep control over decisions about what is purchased and how much money is spent. For these reasons, grocery shopping can plug into issues of authority and companionship.

Be sure you don’t hire a mismatch, e.g., someone who comes in and does a fabulous job selecting, buying, and organizing the groceries thereby annoying your parents who love to shop and see this as one of the last vestiges of control over daily life. Talk to your parents about the tasks involved in grocery shopping.

Do you want help:
• Deciding how much to spend?
• Making grocery lists?
• Getting to and from the store?
• Selecting the groceries?
• Navigating the aisles?
• Reaching items on very high and/or low shelves?
• Putting the groceries into the cart, onto the checkout counter?
• Paying?
• Carrying the groceries to the car and into the house?
• Unpacking the groceries?
• Doing the whole thing?

Grocery related issues – Do you want:
• Someone to follow along patiently while you shop?
• Someone to chat with while you are shopping?
• Someone to talk to the store clerks for you if you need help finding an item?
• Someone to handle the payment at check out?
• To do shopping on a regular schedule…when?
• To buy only specific brands or specific product sizes?

You may not have realized how much was involved in shopping for somebody else. Busy people just zip in, buy what they need and zip out. But, for people whose world has gotten smaller, these little things matter a great deal. No matter how experienced the provider of eldercare services is, he/she cannot anticipate each client’s preferences and may not ask in sufficient detail to get adequate information. Use these questions to help your parents get clear on exactly what they want help with and how they want to be helped, and to train the helper so he/she can provide elder care services they will accept.

Why? It means they are still alive!

But caring for aging parents can be difficult. Yet there are a few things you can do to help you and them decide what is best for them.

And yes, that means your decision making about them must include them.

So how does one do this?

Have “the talk” with your parents while they are still active and healthy
Do a think/look/see at alternative living arrangements
Put all your decisions in writing
The talk

Remember when your parents had “the talk” with you about sex? This version of “the talk” is about aging – their aging and yours.

When you have this talk is up to you. A good time for this talk, just like for the sex talk, is long before you actually need to deal with the reality of it.

What is the substance this talk? A frank discussion of issues such as:

driving
housing
style of life
money
end of life decisions
These may not seem like “pleasant” topics for a family chat – but the earlier you have this chat the more involved your parents can be in the decisions.

Waiting until a decision is necessitated by events is not the best time to have this discussion – if, in fact, a discussion can be had at that moment.

Most of these issues revolve around loss of independence – a difficult option for most – but especially for older persons. Cars, housing arrangements, life style and money give one a sense of independence. As does making ones own decisions about changing or re-arranging these circumstances.

Be sure to let your parents tell you what they think and want or how any decisions about them should be made.

Look/See

You can all visit senior housing communities at any time and study all the options available; including living near or with you. There are so many newer housing communities that try to meet the many requirements for their aging populations.

Put everything in writing

Wills, living wills, estate matters, end of life decisions and housing/finance decisions should be put in writing. [They can also be changed.] The legalities may vary depending on where you live or where your parents now live so check with a local attorney.

Reducing your family discussions to a written document may help everyone when the emotional time comes to take action on any of the decisions.

Aging may be difficult to deal with – but growing old sure beats the alternative.

It’s okay to go off and have fun for a few years. Just don’t think you’ve planned adequately for retirement that way. Here’s the thing — if you haven’t admitted you’re going to be old, you’re already in mired deep in potential trouble.

Yes, meeting pals just like you and living life like an elderly frat gang — that’s just super. But when some health thing happens to you, people in the playtime of retirement often don’t want to reminded of the essential fragility of life.

No, you really need a whole gathering of different kinds of people. All ages, all backgrounds. Let me see, oh yes, now I remember — it’s called a village, a town, a city.

When people are afraid to be old, they act in a kind of superstitious way that says, don’t do anything “old”. So, don’t put grab bars around your bathroom, just for just in case. Don’t worry about living up a 50-step stone stairway to your house. Walk everywhere, eat carefully, think positive thoughts.

Yeah, sure, that’s all good. But, friends, then there’s life. And, as John Lennon said, life is what happens when you’re making other plans. Let me give you some examples.

Cedric-the-artist was a grumpy old gentleman who walked everywhere and lived in a hilly town, up one hundred stone steps. The walking and the steps kept his legs very trim. However, he developed diabete, didn’t watch his diet and he fell down his steps in a dizzy moment, rolling from his front gate to the bottom. He was never able to live at home after that and his general disagreeableness prevented friendships growing around him.

Bob and Beth were a lovely tennis-playing couple, in their late 60s. They bounded healthily into my caregiver support group, month after month, often in their tennis whites, glowing with exercise. I asked them once whether they were caregivers and they said cheerfully, “Oh no, we’re just doing our homework.”

Very smart, I thought. When I asked where their families lived, they said in Maryland and Florida. And then they added something a little chilling.

“We like to live here in Arizona because then our children won’t see us getting old.”

Some months after this, I had a phone call late at night. A very distressed woman was telling me about her husband having a stroke. After some confusion, I realized this was Beth. Bob had been felled by a severe stroke. We talked more and a few other things emerged. They had never married and Beth was sending Bob back to his children in Maryland. She was moving to Florida.

“Oh no,” she said, “I can’t possibly look after him.” Neither did she want to move near him. She was horror-stricken by what had befallen him.

If getting old and having some stuff happening wasn’t so filled with horror for her, it might have been a story with a better outcome for them both. But counting on never getting old, with life never happening while you’re making other plans — that seems to rip the heart out of every possibility.

When it comes to grandparent’s rights, if you do not have anything legal, you may not be able to provide the child with proper medical care, or enroll them into school. You want to have some type of custody arrangement so that you can do the things for the child that need to be done. If you do not have some sort of custody arrangement in place, the parent may be able to come in and take the child at any time and if there is an addiction involved or history of neglect, this can be detrimental for any child at any age. You not only need to work out something with the parents if possible, you will need an attorney to approve this so that you can make this a binding contract.

If the parents involved do not agree with the custody arrangement you may need to petition the court to evoke your grandparents rights and as this may be hard to do, especially when you are doing this against your own child, it may be necessary to protect the minor which is the best interest of court.

If you have suspected abuse at any time towards your grandchild, it is grandparent’s rights and responsibility to report this to the proper authorities. The court normally wants the child to stay with a close family member and if you have the means to take care of the child, the chances are you can be awarded temporary custody for as long as it takes.

Grandparent’s rights are something that has to be excised under certain circumstances and while this may be very difficult, it also may be very necessary to protect a child. If you are in a position where you need to help your grandchild, contacting an attorney can help you determine what your rights are and how to go about protecting your grandchildren at all costs.

Summary: Grandparents rights are out there and if you are a grandparent raising your grandchild, you may need to discover exactly what rights you have in order to keep your grandchild safe, or even secure some type of visitation with this child. There are many reasons where a grandparent may need to use these rights, and with the high divorce rates, poverty levels, and teen pregnancy rates, there may be many reasons you may need to take your grandchild into your own home to make sure that they get the care they need.