Ep86: Balancing Business With Caring For Aging Parents with Ruth Ullmann

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Are you an entrepreneur that has aging parents? Have you given any thought about how caring for your parents in their advancing years could impact your business, health and savings? More often than not, this is a scenario that isn’t thought about or planned for until it’s too late. Most have no idea the physical and emotional cost caregiving can impose. Our wonderful guest today is here to give us some insight on how we can start making a plan, so we don’t end up having to choose between the business we created and caring for aging loved ones.

For over 20 years, business consultant and coach, Ruth Ullmann helped companies, groups and individuals achieve their business objectives. Then the day came where Ruth had to give up her consulting business so she could care for her aging parents. This greatly impacted her health and her savings account.
 
This led Ruth to create a new business, My Elder Care Journey, where she now helps small businesses, entrepreneurs and consultants realign their businesses to thrive while caring for aging loved ones. 

Episode Highlights: 

• What actually IS the role of a care giver? 
• What is the physical, mental and emotional toll as a care giver? 
• There is never enough time to prepare and do the research that is needed. 
• What is care giver fatigue? Is it a real thing? 
• Care giving can span 10-20 years, the average is 20 hours per week (+ your own work hours and taking care of your own personal stuff), can cost the caregiver 8-10 years of their life due to the stress involved. 
• Its usually ONE adult child that takes on the majority of the responsibility, no matter how many siblings there are. 
• How much time can you give without impacting your life and business, and remain healthy over the next 10-20 years? 
• What role do you want to play? What aspects do you want to take care of for your parents? Share the responsibility. 
• Pick the aspects that you are the most skillful at. 
• In a survey it was found that care givers ages 50+, lost over $300,000 in lost wages and use a majority of their savings caring for their aging parents. 
• We talk about the 5 phases of Elder Care.
• Men and Women deal with the role of care giving differently.
• Steps that we can take to protect our business and keep it flexible. 
• Take care of yourself first!

Connect with Ruth at myeldercarejourney.com
Get your copy of the infographic that Ruth has prepared for us at bit.ly/reignite1

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