Usually when we hear the term “holiday surprises” we think about a special gift or an unexpected, but welcome visit from out of town family or friends. However, sometimes I have seen that in Florida the holiday surprise is what happens when an out of town child comes to visit retired mom and dad for the holidays and realizes that mom and dad have been glossing over how difficult it has become for them to safely handle day-to-day living.
It is easy over the phone to paint a picture of normal life, but it can quickly become apparent during an in person holiday visit that life for mom and dad isn’t quite as jolly as it may have seemed. It is pretty common in these situations for mom and dad’s belief that “everything is fine” to differ significantly from their child’s observation that everything is not fine at all.
Although the realization that mom and dad might not have things as much under control as you imagined can be a bit unsettling, the good news is that there are many resources available to help get mom and dad the day-to-day assistance they need to keep them safe.
If your visit to your parents results in a “holiday surprise” of this nature, please know that you don’t have to figure out the next steps alone. An elder law attorney is available to assist and guide you in putting a plan in place to help you help your parents.