Do you have aging parents who are facing difficult decisions about their future? If so, Alice Kalso’s book Elder Care SOS: Facing Hard Choices with Hope is a goldmine you will not want to miss. Alice has 25 years experience working with seniors and their families. Her counsel is wise and well organized. Each chapter has valuable information that she has gleaned from many people, including the families she has helped.
The book is full of stories…
…all of which help illuminate Alice’s rich store of information. Many of the stories are from serving clients who were facing hard choices, but many are her own personal stories. With candor and transparency, Alice’s family story is woven through the pages of the book, inviting readers into the very real struggles that make Elder Care SOS such a useful resource.
Her Christian faith is the filter through which Alice offers up this helpful volume. Her compassion toward others and her own lived experience equip her to offer hope to those facing hard decisions concerning eldercare.
So, what are the decisions that Elder Care SOS covers?
What help will you find in the book that could make a difference for you and your loved one(s)? Here are some of the issues Alice addresses that you may be facing yourself:
• My loved one shouldn’t be driving but I don’t know how to get him/her to stop.
• My parents aren’t ready to give up their home.
• When and how do we introduce our mom to the idea of in-home help?
• Dad’s doctor says he needs to move to a nursing home but he doesn’t want to. And, frankly, I get upset just thinking about it.
All of these concerns—and so many more—Alice Kalso addresses in Elder Care SOS: Facing Hard Choices with Hope.
I found the book so well written and helpful that starting in December we will set aside one blog post a month to consider the issues that Alice talks about in her book. Maybe you are not currently dealing with the concerns of an elder facing hard choices. That’s OK. Chances are you will be at some time in the future. As I read Alice’s book I realized that one day Tom and I will need to face the hard choices for ourselves, as will we all. To lighten that load, we will look at this book together, right here on Salt & Pepper.
Please join us in the coming months as we explore the difficult issues that come with growing older and the hope we need as we work through the process.
Blessings to you,
Ginger
We first met Alice Kalso here on Salt & Pepper Blog when she wrote a guest blog for us in March 2021 about conversations with our parents at the end of life. An author, blogger, and speaker, Alice’s expertise in elder care was gained through 25 years working with seniors, both in senior living communities and as a consultant walking beside families as they helped their aging parents navigate the hard choices. Alice has approached her work with integrity and compassion, qualities that shine through her work with her clients and in her book and her blog, alicekalso.com. as well.
Last night we lost my husband’s mother. In July we lost my father. This sounds like such a helpful book for such times as these as we go forward with our 2 elderly remaining parents. Richard’s dad is 100 years and his beloved spouse left us yesterday yet his severe Alzheimers/dementia prevent him from knowing or understanding. My mom faces her future without her beloved and says the tears are always just under the surface yet she knows she/ we will see him again someday. We sang the hymn “When We All Get to Heaven” at his graveside. Richard and I have found comfort in the Steve & Annie Chapman song “This Time It’s Different/Does Jesus Care”. Yes, HE DOES!
Oh, Joanie, just before I saw your comment I read your daughter’s beautiful tribute to her grandma on Facebook. I’m so sorry for the great difficulty you and your family are experiencing in this time of life. May the Lord continue to strengthen you as you hope in him to meet you mom’s needs and those of Richard’s father.
If you can get a copy of Alice’s book it could offer you some very concrete help. At least check out her blog at alicekalso.com. She offers lots of help there too.
Ginger