056: Managing Care for Tutu When You're Far Away

Managing care for an aging loved one from thousands of miles away is one of the hardest things a family can face — and it's exactly what today's guest, Petra Weggel, lived through firsthand. Petra joins Meg to share how she coordinated care for both of her parents in Germany while living on Maui, navigating a 12-hour time difference, language barriers, and a health care system very different from our own. Her experience inspired her to write The Elder Care Playbook: How to Organize Care for Your Aging Loved One.

Petra walks through the practical systems she built — digitizing records, securing power of attorney, arranging in-home nursing, adult daycare, and trusted local volunteers — all from across the world.

Her biggest takeaway? The best time to prepare is before you need to.

In this episode, you will hear:

• How do you manage elder care from over 7,000 miles away?
• What systems and tools help you stay organized when caring for aging parents remotely?
• Why is securing a power of attorney one of the most critical steps in elder care planning?
• What roles can volunteers and local community organizations play in supporting your loved one?
• How can adult daycare benefit both the aging parent and the caregiver at home?
• What does the process of researching and waitlisting for nursing facilities actually look like?
• Why is preparing early the single most important thing families can do?

Resources from this Episode

Guest's Website - https://theeldercareplaybook.com/

Guest's Book Title: The Elder Care Playbook

Follow and Review:

We'd love for you to follow us if you haven't yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.