Questions for Aging Parents

A recent Real Simple magazine article examines how adult children and their parents can have an open discussion about their concerns, and together face the challenges of aging.  This discussion is often not an easy one to have; a 2001 AARP study revealed that three-quarters of adult children think about their parents' ability to live independently, but one-third of the children surveyed have avoided discussing the topic with their parents.  The results for parents are similar; a little over two-thirds said they think about their ability to live independently, but more than one-third said they do not discuss the subject with their children.  The article provided several conversation-starting questions that adult children can ask their parents.