If Only You Would Ask: A Guide to Spending Quality Time with the Elderly

Book Synopsis: When visiting an elderly relative or friend, are you often at a loss for what to talk about? After the initial pleasantries, do the minutes drag on? You may very well love this person, but find yourself struggling to carry on a conversation. An hour can seem endless. If only you could think of something interesting to talk about! If Only You Would Ask transforms this situation! Open to any page and soon find yourself engaged in meaningful conversation.

With forty-two topics and over four hundred questions, If Only You Would Ask provides a framework for tapping into memories that may not have been thought about or talked about for years! You and the person you are visiting will both enjoy your time together. In fact, you will look forward to your next get together. Every person has stories to share, If Only You Would Ask!

About the Author

Mother-daughter duo Eileen Opatz Berger and Joan Berger Bachman teamed up for five years to make this timeless resource available for all those who spend time with the elderly.

Eileen Opatz Berger graduated from the College of St. Benedict and the University of Wis/River Falls. Presently she teaches English as a second language. Along with her family, foreign students have been the joy of her life. Favorite pastimes include travel, writing, and tennis. She currently divides her time between White Bear Lake, Minnesota and Sun City West, Arizona.

Joan Berger Bachman is extremely pleased and proud to be coauthoring a book with her mom! As a teenager, Joan recalls her mother’s advice: “When you are in a social situation, always make an effort to ask each person three questions. This shows that you are interested in what they have to say…” In other words, give people the opportunity to talk about themselves! Generally, people are pleased to share, and you will have deflected the attention from yourself! So it comes as no real surprise that four decades later, she has coauthored a book filled with questions to promote quality conversations!

Joan resides with her husband John in Rochester, Minnesota. Proud mother of three grown children and grandmother to five, she is grateful for family, for health, and for friends who continue to enrich her life.