ne. Don't worry about us, honey." If either of them had a medical procedure or illness, me and my siblings would hear about it after the fact. They didn't want to worry us. That strateWhen my mother had a massive stroke, I remember arriving in the emergency room and being asked a dozen questions about her medical history. My father was out of it, in shock, I think, and although my mother had been taken to the hospital she gone to for almost 40 years, they were still asking the standard questions. What medications is she on? What are their names, dosages and frequencies? How long has she been taking this medication? What surgeries and illnesses has she had in the past and when? What types of medical conditions does she have? And I was clueless.

Like many adult children, I had enquired after my aging parents' health in vague ways. And like so many parents of adult children, my parents always said, "Oh, we're fine. Don't worry about us, honey." If either of them had a medical procedure or illness, me and my siblings would hear about it after the fact. They didn't want to worry us. That strate

although my mother had been taken to the hospital she gone to for almost 40 years, they were still asking the standard questions. What medications is she on? What are their names, dosages and frequencies? How long has she been taking this medication? What surgeries and illnesses has she had in the past and when? What types of medical conditions does she have? And I was clueless.

Like many adult children, I had enquired after my aging parents' health in vague ways. And like so many parents of adult children, my parents always said, "Oh, we're fine. Don't worry about us, honey." If either of them had a medical procedure or illness, me and my siblings would hear about it after the fact. They didn't want to worry us. That strate

es and frequencies? How long has she been taking this medication? What surgeries and illnesses has she had in the past and when? What types of medical conditions does she have? And I was clueless.

Like many adult children, I had enquired after my aging parents' health in vague ways. And like so many parents of adult children, my parents always said, "Oh, we're fine. Don't worry about us, honey." If either of them had a medical procedure or illness, me and my siblings would hear about it after the fact. They didn't want to worry us. That strate

as clueless.

Like many adult children, I had enquired after my aging parents' health in vague ways. And like so many parents of adult children, my parents always said, "Oh, we're fine. Don't worry about us, honey." If either of them had a medical procedure or illness, me and my siblings would hear about it after the fact. They didn't want to worry us. That strate

ne. Don't worry about us, honey." If either of them had a medical procedure or illness, me and my siblings would hear about it after the fact. They didn't want to worry us. That strategy of keeping us in ignorant bliss didn't pay off. I know that my parents intended good and there were equal parts of me that thought "Well, they're my parents so they know best what to tell me and what to do" and "I don't know what I'd do if they said they were sick anyway and if I did, how would I convince them of what to do if they didn't want to do it?"

The truth behind what truly prevented my parents and others out there like them from sharing this information with their children is two-fold. One, they just didn't want to deal with the fact that they were aging and didn't want to have to confront their own mortality. Two, they also didn't want to admit that they might not be able to handle situations on their own as they occurre