In this episode, I talk with Yamileth Villarreal, a gerontology specialist, about how to support our elderly parents without taking away their autonomy, how to distinguish between caring and overprotecting, and what we can do to help them age with dignity, independence, and quality of life. I also share very personal experiences with my own parents and the decisions we've had to make as a family.

In this episode, we discuss:

✅ How to care for our elderly parents without treating them like children or taking away their ability to make decisions about their own lives.

✅ What to do when a parent no longer accepts help, even if some of their decisions could put them at risk.

✅ Why overprotection can lead to greater dependency and diminish an elderly person's autonomy.

✅ How to cope with the guilt that arises when we have to make difficult decisions for our parents and feel we might be doing something wrong.

✅ What signs can alert us to possible cognitive decline and why changes in money management, memory, or behavior warrant attention. ✅ How to share caregiving responsibilities among siblings to prevent the entire burden from falling on one person.

✅ What can we start doing today to achieve a more active, independent, supported, and dignified old age?

How to care for elderly parents, caring for older adults, elderly parents, aging, gerontology, caring for mom and dad, overprotection of older adults, autonomy of older adults, cognitive decline, dementia, Alzheimer's, caregiver guilt, caregiver burnout, setting boundaries with parents, healthy aging, mental health of older adults, family care, dependent parents, dignified aging, Shulamit Graber, Resignificando Ando.

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