We are a country with a fast-growing elderly population. How can we provide the care required when our parents are elderly and wish to remain independent and in their home? In Gail Alcorn McGonigle’s indispensable book, Dad’s Home Alone: Caring for Your Elderly Parent, the former occupational therapist-and someone who cared for an aging father-we learn about how an elder’s needs might develop chronologically-from being independent, through death and its aftermath-and how we can best intervene in the various stages, providing the care necessary to maintain their health, safety, and sense of self-respect. She covers the gamut from devices that make daily activities easier and safer, to costs and coverage, to revelations about abuses. The Tips and Tools at the end of each chapter help to make this a necessary guide for everyone engaged in caring for an aging parent. In conclusion, the section on “When It’s Our Turn,” gives us food for thought as we prepare for our own elder years.
