It is often one of those conversations that you spend a lot more time thinking about than actually having. Broaching the issue of long-term care with a parent or another aging loved one can be difficult. The person who is the subject of the conversation may suddenly feel like their own child is trying to make the important decisions that they have been making for themselves their entire lives. For the child it may require a coming to terms with a parent's mortality.

A recent article in USA Today looked at a few families that have had this conversation already and looks at what worked for them. One of the most helpful points I noticed in the article was that it is important that the loved ones know that having those conversations does not take control away from them, but instead empowers them to share their desires and intentions for the future now, so that they can be carried out if they are ever unable to communicate them later.

Many times these conversations are triggered by necessity. If an older parent has a stroke, or is in an accident you may suddenly realize that this may be the last chance to establish a durable power of attorney or to talk about what sort of life saving measures the parent would want.

Ideally having these talks before they are crucial is better. If dementia is an issue, waiting can make them all the more difficult. Right now many in the Baby Boomer generation are trying to help their parents plan for transitioning into the later stages of life. The article in USA Today recommends that this might be a time for those Baby Boomers to be proactive and make certain that they have their own plans in place.

SOURCE: USA TODAY "Long-term care 'conversation' can be hard to start" Janice Lloyd, March 2, 2011