You have a moral obligation to care for your parents, spouse and children. To do this well, you need to be informed, plan ahead, and take care of yourself first. The earlier the better. This simple to understand blueprint lays down 10 Guiding Principles to make the process of Elder Care more bearable and less stressful. Follow these tips and you will spare yourself and your loved ones unnecessary pain in both the long and short terms.

We're all getting older. And that's the good news. The bad news is that at some point most of us will need help. Help with living and help with dying. And the people most likely to provide that help are family members. But these family members also have lives - kids, jobs, bills. And all these things will take a serious hit without proper planning. It's not the jaunty, happy subject matter of a motivational speaker. But it's a topic every individual, association and company needs to address. As our population lives longer lives, chronic illness and managed care will increasingly become part...