In 2000, approximately 605 million people were 60 years or older. According to the Administration on Aging, that number is expected to be close to 2 billion by 2050. It will be the adult children that manage the care of these older adults and will need to discuss important topics such as, driving safety, managing of scarce resources and finances, and in some cases, helping the senior find an assisted living community.

The Society of Certified Senior Advisors (SCSA) acknowledges that these can be difficult topics to discuss, and yet are critically important to the health and well being of the senior adult. Therefore, SCSA is offering to their Certified Senior Advisors a free presentation titled, Conversations with Seniors: A Guide for Dealing with Difficult Topics. The comprehensive presentation that will cover:

• An overview of the aging process and the ways seniors struggle - by better understanding our seniors we can begin to see why certain conversations can be challenging.
• A template for structuring the conversation with your senior - some ideas on how to reduce some of the resistance and gain ground in discussing the difficult issues.
• A look at the pitfalls of aging - anticipating problems that occur with aging and how to manage them.
• How to build an on-going dialogue - one that will add richness and depth to your relationship
• Resources so you can build your own toolkit - approaches and responses to working with seniors

Educating professionals to assist adult children communicate more effectively with their senior parents is another example of how SCSA provides monthly tools and information to their Certified Senior Advisors. It is a part of a 13 year history to enhance the professionals understanding of the health, social, and financial issues facing senior citizens today.

ABOUT SCSA. SCSA was established in 1997 to enhance education and standards among professionals working with senior citizens. SCSA’s mission is to educate professionals to work more effectively with their senior clients. We believe that the right kind of planning, recommendations and referrals can make aging a state to be savored instead of a fate to fear. For those who work with seniors, this means understanding the key health, social and financial factors that are important to seniors—and how these factors work together. CSAs are able to integrate this into their professional practices, no matter what field they’re in. They’ve learned how incredibly gratifying it is to help seniors achieve their goals, and the seniors they’ve worked with have learned how important it is to work with someone who truly understands their age-related circumstances.