The holidays could be a good time to talk with parents about their goals for retirement and long term living, while they are active and vibrant and not on the cusp of an aging crisis. What holds adult children back from those conversations is that no one wants to think about aging, said Kelly Adams, a certified senior advisor with Alexander City’s Beyond Home Care.

“What are their goals? What are their finances? We need to have these conversations with our parents early on to make sure we can honor their goals and wishes. We need to have those conversations around the table and not the hospital bed. Without talking about it, adult children have to make decisions that they are not prepared to make,” Adams explained. “And this time of year is when we see the need. Maybe Mom and Dad seemed fine over the phone, but when the family visits, they see that their medications are a mess or there’s a bill that didn’t get paid and the food in the refrigerator is expired and has been for a long time.”