Navigating Senior Care: A Practical Guide to Helping Your Parents
This article is part of a companion feature to the two-part podcast episode “Navigating Senior Care with Brad and Christy Brewer.” It aims to provide a concise, expert-guided summary for those supporting aging parents—and those preparing for their own future care.
For millions of American families, the question of senior care often arrives not with planning, but with panic. A parent falls, a diagnosis is delivered, or caregiving at home becomes unsustainable. Suddenly, adult children are forced to make critical decisions under emotional and logistical pressure.
“Every day in America, 10,000 people turn 65,” said Tony Kalinowski, host of The Retirement Insiders. “Yet very few families have a clear plan for what happens next.”
In a recent two-part interview, Brad and Christy Brewer—a husband-and-wife team behind Aspen Valley Senior Homes in Washington, Missouri—offered practical, deeply informed insights on this growing national issue. Drawing on their experience and their co-authored guidebook Home to Home: The Step-by-Step Senior Housing Guide, they provided strategies for both helping aging parents and planning proactively for one’s own future care.
“The earlier you start these conversations, the more dignity and choice everyone has,” said Brad Brewer, a Residential Assisted Living Specialist and former hospital administrator.
The Emotional Weight of Helping Our Parents
In Part I of the podcast, Host Tony Kalinowski and Co-Host/Producer David Alexander discuss the emotional complexity of senior care. Tony recounted the decline of his mother due to Alzheimer’s and the resulting strain on his father, who had promised to never place his wife in a care facility.
“It was incredibly difficult,” Tony shared. “My dad became depressed, isolated, and physically unwell from the stress. He didn’t just lose his wife—he lost himself for a time.”
These stories are not outliers, said Christy Brewer, a Licensed Administrator and geriatric Speech-Language Pathologist with nearly three decades of experience. “It’s common to see one spouse slowly deteriorate while trying to care for the other,” she said. “The emotional weight can become overwhelming, especially when the family doesn’t have a roadmap.”
Practical Planning Begins with Asking the Right Questions
Part II of the interview shifted the lens inward: How can individuals in their 50s and 60s prepare for their own aging in a way that eases the future burden on their children?
“Start early,” Brad Brewer advised. “By the time a crisis hits, your options narrow. But if you’re in your fifties or sixties, you can explore communities, review insurance options, and make your wishes known.”
Christy Brewer added that touring multiple facilities—unannounced, at different times of day—is essential. “What matters most is not the paint on the walls, but the culture inside. How do staff interact with residents? Are people engaged, respected, and supported in their independence?”
“Independence doesn’t end with assisted living,” she said. “The right setting can actually increase purpose and connection.”
Misconceptions Around Cost and Timing
Many families avoid taking action due to misconceptions, the Brewers explained.
“The biggest myth is thinking you have more time,” said Christy Brewer. “Families often dismiss early warning signs or believe their loved one is simply forgetful. But by the time a real problem shows up, the window to prepare has already narrowed.”
Cost is another barrier. “Yes, senior care has a financial component,” Brad noted, “but there are programs like long-term care insurance, Medicaid-supported PACE programs, and even creative real estate solutions to support transition.”
The Brewers recommend consulting a financial advisor and estate planning attorney well before care is needed. As Tony added, “Some strategies, like asset protection trusts, require a five-year lead time. You can’t build that protection once the emergency has already arrived.”
Restoring Family Roles and Relationships
Perhaps the most moving insight came near the end of Part II.
“One of the best things we hear from families is this,” Christy shared. “‘Now I can just be their son or daughter again. I’m not the medication manager, the meal planner, the crisis line.’ That shift allows healing to happen.”
At Aspen Valley, the Brewers emphasize environments where residents can feel not just safe, but useful. From folding laundry to planting flowers, purposeful activity helps residents remain engaged and emotionally whole.
“We had a lady come in with a goal of dancing at her grandson’s wedding and she was able to do that.” Brad continued, “Those are the kinds of stories that warm my heart.”
To learn more about Brad and Christy Brewer visit their website at www.aspenvalleyseniorhomes.com
Connect: Tony Kalinowski
Learn More About Brad & Christy: www.aspenvalleyseniorhomes.com
Book: Home to Home Local Edition: The Step by Step Senior Housing Guide
Podcast Producer: David Alexander
Listen on Apple to Part I
Listen on Spotify to Part
Listen on Apple to Part II
Listen on Spotify to Part II