Reaching a stage in life when you can no longer take care of yourself is a problem most people prefer not to think about until absolutely necessary. When that point comes, it also throws up one of the most difficult dilemmas any family can face.
Decisions have to be made - sometimes very quickly - and people often struggle to find all the information they need in what can be a very stressful time.
A book published by The Family Life Centre in Cabinteely, Dublin, is designed specifically to help people in this situation. Caring Options for Older People arose directly out of the personal circumstances of the chairman of the centre, Sean Nolan.
His mother, Betty, had managed to live on her own up to the age of 88 but after a fall and a hospital stay it became obvious she wouldn't be able to live alone any longer.
He set about exploring all the options available for his mother, from hiring professional carers to look after her at home to the option of her going into a nursing home. He described it as a "voyage of discovery".
"The difficulty is that you don't know where to start - the information is all there but it is not in one place. People suggest different things and you end up doing an awful lot of leg-work. Sometimes you get contradictory information and it is difficult to find out exactly what you are entitled to and to get hard and fast information," he said.
From these weeks of trying to pull all the information together arose the idea of the book. He said "the whole purpose is to try to make it a bit easier for other people".
The book is addressed to the older person and the director of the centre, Kay O'Hanlon, said this was very deliberate as it was important that the older person felt in control. "Older people tend to panic and they often feel that they haven't got a say," she said.
The chapters of the book deal with the different stages a person might be at, from "managing at home" to "moving in with relatives or to sheltered accommodation" to "choosing a nursing home". It also has chapters on financial and legal issues and on "leaving hospital".
"The information is laid out under clear headings as we wanted to make it accessible and the aim is to make all the transitions as simple, easy and as caring as possible," she said.
Throughout the book there is an emphasis on planning ahead, so as to ensure that decisions are not rushed and possibly regretted later.
It begins with a chapter on identifying needs and stresses the importance of the elderly person thinking about their needs before they act.
"If you simply go for the first option suggested, you may find yourself in an unwelcome situation, and with perhaps no easy way of changing it," it cautions.
The book is full of very practical guidance on where people can get help and information depending on their circumstances.
For example, managing at home gives information on a whole range of services from occupational therapy to meals-on-wheels to security issues.
The issues that can arise when an elderly person moves in with a son or daughter's family are also dealt with in detail. In the chapter on the nursing home option, it goes through the different kinds of home, the costs involved and gives a checklist of the things to look out for.
It also lists many of the nursing homes in the East Coast Area Health Board region and gives contact numbers for a wide range of useful organisations.
As the book was initially intended for older people living in or close to the Cabinteely area, many of the health board and local authority contacts relate to south Dublin.
However, much of the book's information on entitlements and sources of help and information are relevant to people throughout the country.
Caring Options for Older People is dedicated to Betty Nolan who, at age 91, is now living in a nursing home.
It is available from the Family Life Centre, Cabinteely, Co Dublin (01-2850455) priced 5 direct, (7 including post and packaging) and is also on sale in Veritas bookshops for 10.