After spending years as a Critical Care Nurse, the last three years as the Nurse Educator in an 18-bed Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Lynn was a volunteer at a local hospice where she did Advance Care Planning. In 2008, her parents moved to be closer to Lynn and her husband. Her parents’ health issues required hours of planning, telephone calls, and mainly advocating to ensure they received the best possible care. Having been part of the health care community was an enormous help, and gave her great insight into navigating the system. Most people don’t have that kind of entree into the bureaucracy that is current day health care. She wrote this guide to assist those who, like most, have had no training in being an advocate for their aging parents or for those they love.