Parenting your parents.

Somewhere between raising children and retiring, you may find yourself caring for an aging parent or relative.

You've emptied the nest, only to discover that your aging, widowed mother can no longer live alone or care for herself. Refusing to put her in a nursing home, you move her in with you and become her full-time caregiver, tending to her needs and often neglecting your own.

You're exhausted, you seldom leave the house, and your budget is strained, but you wouldn't have it any other way. After all, your mother devoted most of her life to caring for you--now it's your turn to care for her.

Your situation is hardly unique these days. One of every four adult Americans will end up caring for an aging parent or relative.

There are myriad scenarios: "children" in their 60s caring for parents in their 80s; spouses spending their golden years attending ailing mates; empty-nesters who'd paid the last tuition bill, only to have an aging parent move in.

And then there's the "sandwich …