I just got back from visiting with my parents. My parents are in their 80's. My mother is extremely healthy and will no doubt live to be 100. My father is frail. He has alzheimers. The reason I went to visit was to check into their financial affairs and see if they were covered for the future. Long story short, they don't have even close to enough money in my estimation to make it through. They do have a nice house (paid for) and it's filled to the rafters with nice stuff (it's like a museum!), but bottom line if there is an issue with my father's illness or my mother gets sick, do they have enough? I don't think so.

I'm trying to research medicare. My folks do not have supplemental coverage. They have some savings and they received $1600/mo in social security. They have no other income. I want to make sure my mother is protected in case my dad takes ill and needs hospitalization. Any suggestions: books or websites I can check out? What's really sad, in checking their records I found out one of my siblings, who has more money than my parents, has been asking for and receiving large sums of money from my father (my mother was unaware) for years. The last amount was $4000 so my sister and her kids could take a trip to Jamaica. My other sister and I were flabbergasted my dad sent the money (btw this sister also lives in a nice new house, drives a mercedes and sends her kids to private school). Of course that has got to stop and I wonder if there is some way a stop can be put on checks to someone if my dad keeps writing them checks for money. My dad's mind has not been sound for at least 10 - 15 years.

Anyway was a sad trip. My mother had a rude awakening and I hope she will now watch what my dad's does with their money. Before this week, my dad was handling all the finances. My mother knows he is sick, but since he always handled everything she didn't think about it. It was also a rude awakening for me as well. I wish I had sat down with my parents 10 years ago and talked to them about money. It may be too little too late. Just something for us all to think about. No one likes to talk about it but it is something so necessary to do. My dad thought they had alot of money. Yes, maybe in 1970 it was alot but not now. Anyone else been through this with their elderly parents???