Have You Thought About What Happens if Your Elderly Parents Outlive You?

The thought provoking question of what to do about your aging parents when they can no longer do for themselves is a worrisome one.

Adult children with one or more aging parent, often have this major issue to consider, even while they're still rearing children and caring for their own offspring.

But something even more concerning, is worrying about what happens, if God forbid, your elderly parents outlive you.

If you're a mature adult but not yet a senior citizen yourself, you probably fall into the category like so many other middle-aged people, with either one or both elderly parents still living.

That is why reflections and commentary on an important discussion such as this one, is extremely relevant to so many readers.

I found that to be the case when I visited the Medium writing community where 80-year-old Vera-Marie Landi published a story, pondering her future senior living options.

It was truly interesting to see just how much this topic resonated with all types of readers, including myself.

I'm 67-years-old, and though I happen to be a person up in age just like the author; the numerous comments left in response to her story were from people of all ages.

Here's what I detected after reading dozens and dozens of the more than 100 statements about the topic:

Many elderly readers had similar concerns as the ones listed in the story - particularly, what they should do about future living arrangements, once they can no longer care for themselves or live alone.

Adult children with one or more aging parents or loved ones, are just as concerned about what their future living arrangements will look like at that stage.

Some family situations have multiple parents living and will need to presumably make living arrangements for two seniors. Between parents and in-laws, some adult children have even more than two aging adults to be concerned about.

Although no one enjoys or wants to think about these sensitive subjects before they actually become an issue, failure to think and talk about credible options early could lead to disaster.

More often than not,  it's human nature to put off thinking about making these type of decisions until it's absolutely necessary.

This needs to stop. We'd be much better off if we start viewing this issue the same way we view the unpleasant task of buying life insurance or making burial arrangements in advance.

With those issues, we bite the bullet and just do it.

But on this issue of aging and future living arrangements for elderly parents, we often leave things to chance, unless the senior(s) involved or the adult children themselves, currently have medical issues or serious health restrictions.

Adult children and elderly parents who are all in relatively good health, are much more prone to feel like or assume they still have all the time in the world. Not true.

The world is an unpredictable place.

Accidents, catastrophes, and senseless violence all play a role in just how long people are living these days. That's not even including deaths due to poor health and medical related conditions.

Plainly put, we're living at a time in history where any of those things could occur, at anytime.

For this reason, we can't afford to put off making important life decisions in a timely way, particularly when it comes to the safety and well-being of those we love.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully readers will take this information to heart, regardless of how good your health currently is, or the health of your senior parents and elderly loved ones.

If you haven't taken any time to give serious consideration to this matter, now is the time to start. 

There are lots of options to think about, depending on the specific needs of the senior(s) involved, and the finances available to them for their future.

This is the time to begin looking into the details related to your choices and possible options. 

For instance, if the thought of finding a good assisted living community is an option you might be interested in, why not look into the subject a little deeper?

You can begin with the newly released publication I wrote on the topic of assisted living communities.

It's  available on Amazon and the title is called: What to Do About Mom and Dad: Things to Know in 2026 When Thinking About Assisted Living Communities

Thanks for reading