The staggering, exhausting, invisible costs of caring for America's elderly

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. What is most scary is how elder needs can quickly overwhelm

everyone.

I'm 73, in excellent health, but of course I won't live forever. None of us do. I have an envelope taped to my refrigerator which says For EMTS Health Care Directive which should be readily visible to any EMTs or the like if they need to haul me out of my home.

I spend a lot of time thinking about end of life stuff. I'm fortunate in that my personal financial resources will probably take care of me pretty much whatever happens. But I do hope I have some say in that stuff.

My one son is single, not at all likely to marry, and I worry a lot about his end of life situation. I have talked with him a bit about the need to plan ahead, but in the normal course of events I'll be gone several decades before he'll be thinking about such things,.