Building a Strong Family Tree 

Joshua 24:15

Issues, Rigors and Rewards in caring for  Elderly Parents

by Audrey Cochran, RNCS,CCCN

Baby Boomer women (and their husbands) will spend more years caring for dependent elderly family members than for dependent children. Usually they have 9 months warning to prepare for childcare, but parent care may be thrust upon them by a phone call in the middle of the night. This workshop will describe the rigors and rewards of caring for aging family members, and strategies to avoid hidden hazards and take charge of care giving situations instead of falling victim to them.

Audrey Cochran, is a registered nurse, nationally certified both in Gerontological nursing and continence care. After 10 years of helping her own aging parents, she earned a Master's in Nursing Science degree at CSUB in 1990 and formed her own company, Health Care Planning & Education for the Elderly and Their Families.

In addition to advising families on care giving issues, she is Parish Nurse at Westminster Presbyterian Church, facilitates a local support group for Children of Aging Parents (CAP) and is editor of the Pulse Line, the quarterly newsletter of the National Association of Pro Life Nurses.