My Parents Need to Downsize
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Stay connected to all you love with Life360. Visit Life360.com or download the app today and use the code DrLaura to get 15% off. That's Life360.com, code DrLaura. Thanks for listening to my Call of the Day podcast. You can hear my live radio program Monday through Friday from 2 to 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Sirius XM Triumph 111. Stephanie, welcome to the program.

Thank you, Dr. Laura. You're welcome. Hi. How can I help? Well, I am calling because I have my parents who live in their home, their home that I was raised in, and they're in their early 80s. But what I'm struggling with is how to begin

begin the conversation with my parents about selling their home and looking to downsize and looking to get into a situation where their finances are just not the healthiest. Okay, you can stop. You can stop. The answer is never. Okay. You don't do that.

So when we see that they have mishandled and mismanaged their funds and they can't barely pay... I don't know if they consider that they've mishandled their funds. You may just not like how they're spending it, but that doesn't mean they've mishandled.

Well, they, well, I mean, there's, you know, IRS getting involved, or at least that I can't, that I have come to be aware of that there, you know, that that is not in good standing. I'm a big proponent of, unless you can demonstrate to a court that one or both of them is incompetent mentally or physically and need special, specialized caretaking, that you leave them alone.

Okay. So as far as... Please don't give me another list. Please don't give me another list.

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Have a spouse who travels a lot? A new driver in the family? A kid in college? When you turn on Life 360, you can turn down the worry. Life 360 is a location-sharing app that lets you locate anyone in your family. You'll know when they're on their way or safely at their designated location. And you'll have peace of mind with Life 360's roadside and emergency response programs.

For things that don't drive themselves, there's Life 360 Bluetooth Tile Trackers. I've got the cutest pink punch-colored tile hooked to Lily's collar. Tiles attach to all kinds of things like bikes, keys, remote controls, so you can avoid the drama of lost and stolen stuff.

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Okay, we've got Katie's project, Dan's bake sale, Emma has a test tomorrow? Uh, sweetie, I'm out of my blood pressure meds. Managing the house while Mama's gone is not easy. But did you know that now, Walmart Pharmacy has prescription delivery straight to your door? Wait, what? Really? Yep, just upload your prescription to the Walmart app and keep doing your thing. We'll bring your groceries and prescriptions all in one bag and straight to your door. Thanks. Dad, when does Mom come back? In 38 hours and 47 minutes. Okay.

Now, your pharmacy comes to you. Welcome to your Walmart. Delivery not available for all prescriptions. Exclusions apply. Unless you can demonstrate to a court that they need that kind of assistance, leave them alone. Don't bully them. Don't try to control them. Don't undermine their well-being.

Leave them alone until there's demonstrable problems that need caretaking by an outside party because one or both is completely incompetent. If they're just doing stuff you don't like, too damn bad. If you think they're doing stuff that's stupid, they're at the reasonably latter part of existence and whatever they want to do with their money is fine. Again,

Until you can demonstratively, in front of a judge, prove that they need that, leave them alone. Too many adult children start treating their elderly parents as though they're incompetent when they're not. They can just be annoying. Okay, my number, 1-800-375-3255.

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Okay, we've got Katie's projects, Dan's bake sale, Emma has a test tomorrow? Uh, sweetie, I'm out of my blood pressure meds. Managing the house while Mama's gone is not easy. But did you know that now, Walmart Pharmacy has prescription delivery straight to your door? Wait, what? Really? Yep, just upload your prescription to the Walmart app and keep doing your thing. We'll bring your groceries and prescriptions all in one bag and straight to your door. Thanks. Dad, when does Mom come back? In 38 hours and 47 minutes. Okay.

Now, your pharmacy comes to you. Welcome to your Walmart. Delivery not available for all prescriptions. Exclusions apply.