Tag: Caregiving Challenges
Supporting Families Through Aging Transitions with Jennifer Beach (Ep. 76)

Supporting Families Through Aging Transitions with Jennifer Beach (Ep. 76)

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When aging parents or loved ones need more care, families often face overwhelming choices.

How do you balance emotions with practical decisions? What resources exist to guide families through health, financial, and housing challenges?

In this episode of Dollar$ And $ense, Nicole Romito speaks with Jennifer Beach, Advanced Aging Life Care Professional™ at Advocate For Elders, LLC. She shares her experiences helping families manage transitions, from coordinating medical care to evaluating senior living communities, while highlighting the importance of advocacy and planning.

Key takeaways:

  • The role of an aging life care professional in supporting families through medical, financial, and emotional transitions
  • Why long-distance caregiving creates added challenges and how local advocates help bridge the gap
  • The importance of having a second set of eyes and ears at medical appointments
  • How to effectively evaluate senior living communities beyond the marketing pitch
  • The value of accreditation, ethics, and professional background when choosing an elder care resource
  • And more!

Previous Episodes of Interest:

  • Aging Parents: How to Start the Conversation – Part 1 (Ep. 74)
  • Aging Parents: What We Learned Caring for Our Parents – Part 2 (Ep. 75)

Connect with Nicole Romito: 

Connect with Jennifer Beach:

About Jennifer Beach:

Jennifer Beach has 25 years of experience working with and advocating for older adults and their families. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work from The Ohio State University and a Master of Arts degree in Sociology from Cleveland State University. Jennifer started her career working over 15 years with older adults with developmental disabilities. After additional training she soon began Advocate For Elders.

Jennifer is a licensed, insured Social Worker and an Advanced Aging Life Care® Professional. Jennifer served as the Midwest Chapter President of the Aging Life Care Association and served 7 years on the Board of Directors. In 2018, Jennifer was honored as the recipient of the ALCA Midwest Chapter Outstanding Member of the Year Award.

Jennifer is also a monthly contributor and author for Northeast Ohio Boomer and Beyond. IN 2022, she received first place in the Senior Issues Category at the North American Mature Publishers Association for her contribution to NE Ohio Boomer and Beyond.

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Aging Parents: What We Learned Caring for Our Parents – Part 2 (Ep. 75)

Aging Parents: What We Learned Caring for Our Parents – Part 2 (Ep. 75)

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When aging parents can no longer live on their own, emotions and logistics collide. 

In this powerful 75th episode of Dollar$ and $ense, Nicole Romito is joined again by her Private Vista partners, Jeff Toner and Steve Merdinger, to share deeply personal and professional experiences navigating late-in-life transitions for aging parents.

From legal blind spots to Medicare rules that no one explains, this conversation peels back the complexity and reveals how essential sibling coordination and proactive conversations really are.

What to expect in this episode:

  • Real-life stories of navigating elder care for parents in different states
  • How to avoid missed insurance benefits and unexpected out-of-pocket costs
  • The hidden toll on the “default” caregiver sibling and how to support them
  • What Jeff wishes someone had told him before he dealt with hospice
  • And more!

Resources:

  • Aging Parents: How to Start the Conversation – Part 1 (Ep. 75)

Connect with Nicole Romito: 

Connect with Steve Merdinger:

Connect with Jeff Toner:

About Jeff Toner: 

Over the 30 years of doing this work, Jeff has lived many lives through my clients. He has been with them in moments of great joy and cried with them during their times of sadness. He has taught and educated them, but more importantly, he has been taught and learned from them as well.

As a father of three and business owner, Jeff enjoys an enriched life. He channels his time, talents, and energy between family and friends, clients and colleagues, as well as causes that provide a path for those without the opportunities he’s had. Now that Jeff’s children are becoming young adults, he is most excited to explore new directions for the next stages of his life.

About Steve Merdinger:

Steve has been a financial planner since the mid-80s, helping people consider priorities for themselves and their families, and then working closely with them to turn their hopes and dreams into reality. Before that, he worked in his family’s business, which gave him a unique understanding of the financial dynamics of family-owned businesses, including the issues of succession planning.

As I look to my future, Steve hopes to become more involved with mentoring students — perhaps becoming a trainer with the Positive Coaching Alliance organization. He would like to carve out more time for meditating and maintaining his fitness and flexibility through Bikram yoga. And, of course, spending more quality time with his wife and two children. 

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Aging Parents: How to Start the Conversation – Part 1 (Ep. 74)

Aging Parents: How to Start the Conversation – Part 1 (Ep. 74)

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Starting the conversation about a parent’s care isn’t easy, but it might be the most important discussion you ever have.

In this deeply personal episode, Nicole Romito is joined by her Private Vista partners Jeff Toner and Steve Merdinger for part one of a two-part series on navigating the emotional and practical challenges of aging parents who can no longer live independently.

Together, they reflect on their own family journeys and what they’ve learned from decades of guiding clients through this pivotal life moment.

What to expect:

  • Real stories of loss, transition, and tough family decisions
  • When and how to start the conversation before a crisis strikes
  • How power of attorney can (and should) come into play
  • Navigating sibling dynamics and keeping your parents’ voice central
  • And more!

Previous Episodes of Interest:

Connect with Nicole Romito: 

Connect with Steve Merdinger:

Connect with Jeff Toner:

About Jeff Toner: 

Over the 30 years of doing this work, Jeff has lived many lives through my clients. He has been with them in moments of great joy and cried with them during their times of sadness. He has taught and educated them, but more importantly, he has been taught and learned from them as well.

As a father of three and business owner, Jeff enjoys an enriched life. He channels his time, talents, and energy between family and friends, clients and colleagues, as well as causes that provide a path for those without the opportunities he’s had. Now that Jeff’s children are becoming young adults, he is most excited to explore new directions for the next stages of his life.

About Steve Merdinger:

Steve has been a financial planner since the mid-80s, helping people consider priorities for themselves and their families, and then working closely with them to turn their hopes and dreams into reality. Before that, he worked in his family’s business, which gave him a unique understanding of the financial dynamics of family-owned businesses, including the issues of succession planning.

As I look to my future, Steve hopes to become more involved with mentoring students — perhaps becoming a trainer with the Positive Coaching Alliance organization. He would like to carve out more time for meditating and maintaining his fitness and flexibility through Bikram yoga. And, of course, spending more quality time with his wife and two children.

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