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Book Review: Facing the Finish–A Roadmap for Aging Parents and Adult Children

facingthefinishOne of life’s only sureties, we all will eventually come face-to-face with the end of our life.  Sometimes it comes quickly with no warning, and sometimes end of life comes more slowly, over the course of many months or years.  In either case, after life there are many things to deal with (for those that remain) – and in the cases where the final chapter of our life is a lengthy one, there are many more decisions to make and situations to deal with. Regardless of how swiftly or drawn out the event is, we can all benefit from planning out many of the inevitable decisions in advance.

This book is an excellent guide for folks who are either nearing that final transition in life (referred to by the author as Older Adults), or who are helping our parents or grandparents with this transition (referred to as Adult Children).  Most everything that you need to consider about this transition is covered here, from decisions about your personal and financial affairs, involving your family in decision-making (where appropriate), decisions about care and housing, as well as how to finance your final chapter of life.

The book was written by Sheri L. Samotin, who is a life transitions coach, National Certified Guardian, and certified Professional Daily Money Manager and the founder of LifeBridge Solutions LLC.  Ms. Samotin brings her wealth of knowledge and experience in helping Older Adults and their Adult Children deal with the challenges of aging.  With these insights Samotin provides many real life examples to illustrate her points, which help to personalize the lessons.

I believe that all persons, whether Older Adults or Adult Children, can get a great deal of benefit from this book. The author brings to the fore many salient points that you might not otherwise have considered as you face this transition, from either point of view (Older Adult or Adult Child).  It’s a relatively short read (roughly 200 pages) and is written in an easy, conversational style (not full of technical jargon!).  I will recommend this book for clients in either situation who are looking for just such a roadmap (and even if they don’t know they’re looking for such a roadmap!).

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