Mariam Parineh: Redefining Aging with Confidence and Concierge Support

About Mariam Parineh: Mariam Parineh is the co-founder of Viva Valet, a concierge support service designed to help older adults live independently at home with dignity, confidence, and control. Drawing from decades of personal experience caring for her grandparents, her 94-year-old husband, and her aging parents spread across Iran, Malaysia, and the San Francisco Bay Area, Mariam created the “confidence aging” framework, which focuses on preserving nine types of confidence in older adults rather than just prioritizing safety and longevity.

Through Viva Valet, Mariam and her team provide confidence-informed concierge support—coordinating vetted local services, everyday tasks, and practical help—so that older adults can age in place while adult children are relieved of the “case manager” role. She also works directly with adult children as a coach, helping them release guilt, redefine their role from caregiver to cheerleader and partner, and navigate the emotional and logistical challenges of being “stuck in the middle.”

Mariam splits her life across continents and time zones, modeling what it looks like to honor elders’ autonomy while still caring deeply—and practically—for the people we love.

In this episode, Brian and Mariam Parineh discuss: 

• Confidence Aging and autonomy in older adulthood
• Emotional burden of adult children caring for aging parents
• Balancing respect for aging parents’ choices with safety concerns
• Concierge support models to help older adults age in place

Key Takeaways:

• Caring for aging parents isn’t about perfect decisions; it’s about caring. When you stop obsessing over the “right” choice and focus on genuine care, the pressure and guilt of caregiving ease.
• Respecting aging parents’ choices can matter as much as keeping them safe. Sometimes, honoring how they want to live — even when it looks risky — is the deepest form of love and respect.
• You don’t have to be your parents’ case manager to be a good child. Shifting from “manager” to “cheerleader and partner” can protect your own life, marriage, and kids while still supporting your parents.
• Aging in place works best when confidence, not just safety, is the priority. 

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