143: Saving with Steve with Steve Sexton - Episode 143143: Saving with Steve with Steve Sexton - Episode 143
UK Health Radio Podcast
Steve Sexton and Dr Gerda Maissel talk through the real financial, practical and emotional costs of caring for ageing parents. They share statistics, personal experiences and concrete advice on home care options, safety, and planning for the last decade of life.
44:59•22 Aug 2026
The Cost of Caring for Ageing Parents with Dr Gerda Maissel and Steve Sexton
Episode Overview
- Caregiving for ageing parents often carries large hidden costs, both financially and emotionally, especially during the last decade of life.
- Understand the level of help needed—companion, aide or nurse—before contacting agencies or individuals, as each comes with different skills and prices.
- Medicare may cover hospital stays and limited short‑term support, but extended home care or 24‑hour help is usually a family or private expense.
- Carefully compare medications taken before and after a hospital stay and clarify changes with doctors to avoid dangerous duplications or errors.
- Assess and adapt the home for fall risks and mobility issues immediately after discharge, and stay with a loved one at first to judge how safe they are alone.
“People know something's wrong, but they don't know what to say or what to do inside the system.”
This episode dives deep into the challenges and costs of caring for ageing parents, giving you a candid mix of personal story and expert guidance. The host, Steve Sexton, opens up about his 89‑year‑old father’s recent open‑heart surgery and the unexpected shock of arranging care, from hiring aides to juggling night shifts with his siblings. It’s a very real look at how fast the bills stack up and how emotionally draining family care can be.
Joining him is Dr Gerda Maissel, a board‑certified physician and private patient advocate who specialises in translating “doctor speak into human speak”. She explains why so many families are blindsided by the last decade of life, where the gap between “lifespan” and “healthspan” can mean eye‑watering care costs and long, tiring recoveries.
You’ll hear statistics like “approximately 10 percent of US adults currently provide unpaid care to their ageing parents” and typical caregivers pouring 27 hours a week into unpaid tasks, often at the peak of their earning years. Dr Maissel breaks down different levels of home help in plain language: companions who cook and keep an eye on things, aides who handle intimate tasks like washing and dressing, and nurses for complex medical needs.
She walks through agency care, private “I’ve got a gal” arrangements, and registries, spelling out the trade‑offs in cost, oversight and continuity. There’s also practical safety advice: clear trip hazards, rethink toilets and steps, and stay with a loved one for at least the first 24 hours home from hospital.
Medication mix‑ups, unrealistic expectations of what Medicare covers, and the emotional punch of seeing a parent lose mobility are all discussed honestly, with Steve sharing his own family’s missteps and “aha” moments. If you’re caring for parents, thinking ahead for yourself, or simply trying to understand the true cost of care, this episode lays out the questions to ask and the realities to face. How prepared do you feel for that last decade of life—for your parents or for yourself?
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