Dear Readers,
I have an oil painting hanging in my hallway of a much younger me...it’s been there a while; but a couple of months ago, a girlfriend remarked, “I have been meaning to ask you, who is that in the painting?”  I was speechless.
This summer, I was invited to a reunion of a group of us who had worked together 25 years ago; I couldn’t attend, so photos were emailed to me -- my instant reaction, “Who are these people?”
And that, in a nutshell, is the problem with aging. Limited vision, blinders! We see people around us aging, but never think of ourselves in that way.  We know we have a long life expectancy, but we just don’t see ourselves getting ‘old’! 
A reader who recently asked, “What care is available for seniors who wish to remain in their own homes?” has got the right attitude.  She’s obviously looking at her own aging and while healthy wants to understand her options. 

          Care is a prickly issue. Death, taxes and care, there’s never a convenient time for any of them!

Yet, the good news is that Canada’s new generation of dynamic young-seniors, those of you 65 – 79 years old, are not only interested in healthy-aging today, but also want to be involved in lifestyle-choices of tomorrow.

You are discussing care-related questions with your spouse/partner (what are our plans when we need some help), doctors (how do we access home care), portfolio managers (have you considered my up-coming care needs), insurance agents (what is critical illness and long-term care insurance), lawyers (will and power-of-attorney), employers (is there a working-caregivers policy in our company), accountants (care expense deductions and my income tax), ministers (end-of-life special wishes), neighbours (think about cost-sharing ideas), elected representatives (subsidized government home-care services) and especially your adult children (let’s talk). 
Recognizing that in all probability you are going to live long lives well into your old-old years, you want to remain self-sufficient in your own homes (houses, apartments, condominiums, assisted living residences, retirement communities). In particular, retirees and widows are no longer procrastinating.  You no longer want to leave care-related decisions to the last-minute, to be made in crisis situations.

Understanding parent and in-law care is also growing in importance for sandwiched boomers balancing jobs and children and for boomers closing in on retirement.  Families recognize that relying on a daughter, son or daughter-in-law to help with everyday 24/7 activities would create enormous problems organizationally and financially for all involved.   And sons and daughters with aging parents are doing the math.  Due to predictable long life-spans, they and their parents are going to be seniors--at the very same time!  Wise boomers are factoring this reality into their own retirement plans. 
Unfortunately, when the topic of care is raised, some still ask “Doesn’t the government do that?” Families need to understand provincial government programs and why we shouldn’t depend fully on their services.  And of course, no one wants any unforeseen bombshells when it comes to the costs involved in obtaining quality care.
Because many of you have told me that you don’t want to be 90 and frail and trying to cope with this issue then, the upcoming series of columns will focus specifically on ‘care’.  Being aware is the first step to ensure our golden years remain gold or platinum, and don’t become tin!  
Until then, Patty
P.S. Visit my educational website as it is dedicated to the care-issue and e-mail me your comments as they are always welcome.

Patty Randall is widely considered a leading authority on care-years planning in Canada.  She is a professional speaker, media commentator, and author of “Let’s Talk—The Care-Years...Taking Care Of Our Parents/Planning For Ourselves” an extensive, first-of-its kind guidebook in Canada, written by a Canadian, for Canadians. For more information or to obtain a guidebook on the issue, visit her website www.longtermcarecanada.com -- contact Patty at pattyr@telus.net