The Only Problem: How to Care for Aging Parents When You're an Only Child

It feels like a nightmare, like one of those scenes in a Hitchcock film. Just when life seems predictable and safe it takes a dramatic turn. The phone rings. One parent receives a diagnosis no one wants to hear. The phone rings again. This time it’s about the other parent who is behaving oddly, scaring the neighbors. I’m an only child. My folks lavished me with attention, affection, and adventures. We were the Three Amigos. Life was bliss. But when that phone rang my world flipped upside down, and it were as though I began tumbling downward, unsure when, where, or if I’d land. Suddenly, my parents went from independent and active to needy and ill. Nobody prepared me for it. Nobody talked about this stuff. I had a lot to learn. As only children, the responsibility for parental care falls squarely upon us and us alone. Perhaps you have siblings, but they’ve left you holding the bag, be it due to distance or lack of concern. You yearn for tips on what to do next and how to avoid the pitfalls. This is why I wrote The Only Problem: How to Care for Aging Parents When You’re an Only Child. On its pages, I share how to navigate the storm of doctors, medications, and therapies; why it’s important to balance your needs with theirs; noticing red flags when it comes to a medical team or facility; and whom to hire (and not hire) for legal help.

Morgan Hudson is a part-time marketer, full-time fitness fanatic, and first-time author who lives in San Francisco with his wife and two daughters.