Another way to get around some companies wanting to speak to your mother is to use online chat. I used chat to resolve some incorrect interest charges on my father’s AMEX card, and it was much easier.

I pay my father’s bills for him, and making necessary changes can be difficult. I’ve set up a separate email account for his bills, and it helps me to keep everything straight. Good luck with canceling the charges.

I think some elderly people start to hedge their bets before death. They start giving to charity to help them get through St Peters gate into heaven. :0) It is good to keep an eye on charity donations of the aged parent. I know it is their money to do what they want with but it can get out of hand.

An elderly aunt, who I would consider very bright and alert, had problems with Readers Digest books. I guess she had bought a book and somehow they kept sending her more that she had not asked for but may have signed ok on without knowing. When the books arrived she just felt like she was obliged to pay for them. I told her to just send them back and not pay anything….they will soon get the message.

A thought for others: My husband and I each have a $100K term life insurance policy, even though each of us could pay our rent on our own, and even though we have no kids. It’s a form of security against all the things that hit you when you lose a partner, and that you have to cope with that your partner used to, even things like relocation (easier for us renters).