If you are feeling bad about your lack of knowledge regarding legal choices for your parents, go easier on yourself. Few people are prepared for the responsibilities of caring for an aging parent, preferring to procrastinate difficult discussions hoping the time may never come but it usually does. Few of us are fully informed about the legal options, which relate to their care should they for some reason become incapacitated or unable to make those decisions on their own. It is a good idea to seek professional advice in making and documenting your decisions in advance from a qualified elder law attorney. The following definitions may be helpful to you so that you know what basic options are available.

According to the results of a new study of the health of caregivers, there is mounting evidence that explains why caregivers often become patients themselves while caring for a loved one.

Individuals caring for a spouse with dementia show four times greater annual increases than non caregivers in interleukin-6 (IL-6), a key immune system molecule linked in previous studies to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, adult-onset diabetes, and a greater likelihood of death, Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser and colleagues report in the June 30 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.