Check your parents' safety net. Help your parents review their insurance policies to make sure they're adequately covered. Also help them arrange to update their wills and plan for possible incapacity by creating a durable power of attorney for finances, a durable power of attorney for health care, and a living will. And depending on how old your parents are, their current health status, and their overall financial situation, you may want to suggest that they look into long-term care insurance.

Help with money management. If they're not doing so already, help your parents arrange for direct deposit of their Social Security checks, pension checks, and investment dividends, and for automatic bill paying for such things as insurance premiums, utility, and phone bills. Also help them review their investments to make sure they're appropriate for their situation. And since seniors are a frequent target of con-artists, encourage your parents never to buy or contribute to anything over the phone or door-to-door without first getting written information from the firm, and then checking with you.

Ask for help. Contact the Eldercare Locator (800-677-1116), an information line sponsored by the National Association for Area Agencies on Aging. They’ll direct you to a local agency that provides information on services for seniors in your area. For referrals to attorneys specializing in aging, contact the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (520-881-4005. 1604 N. Country Club Rd., Tucson, AZ 85716).