By Tim Bonfield
The Cincinnati Enquirer

At the Council on Aging of Southwest Ohio, calls for assistance start picking up soon after the Christmas season.

That's when younger members of far-flung families often notice the declining health of an aging parent, grandparent or other relative. And the quiet conversations begin.

Can Mom keep living in that house all by herself? Who will take Grandpa to the doctor? Who is going to take care of things if Dad suddenly dies from his chronic illness?

"Unfortunately, we don't want to deal with the what-ifs," says Kris Mirrielees, community education coordinator for the Council on Aging. "A lot of people don't do a lot of pre-planning. So a lot of the calls we get are crisis calls."

This week, two events will help people cope with the realities of end-of-life care.

On Saturday in Florence, lawyer Craig Kendrick will talk about the "legal maze" of caring for a loved one. He'll walk people through the details of living wills, do-not-resuscitate orders and durable powers-of-attorney.

Kendrick will speak from more than just legal experience. His own father suffered a debilitating stroke seven years ago.

"It was totally unexpected and he was only 67," Kendrick said. "Had we not been prepared, we would have had a very difficult time dealing with his health and financial issues."

The event, sponsored by St. Elizabeth Medical Center's PrimeWise network, will be 9 a.m. Saturday at the Gateway Rehabilitation Hospital.

Then, at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, at the Drake Center in Hartwell, Mirrielees and a Miami University aging expert will discuss how much the workplace can be affected by care obligations.

This year, about 30 percent of working people are caring for aging relatives. That figure is projected to rise to 54 percent by 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

"This becomes a workplace issue because care giving can lead to increased absenteeism and lost productivity," Mirrielees said

ALCOHOLICS FIND HELP: The Recovery Health Access Center - a 24-hour help line launched last year by the Alcoholism Council of the Cincinnati Area and the Hamilton County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board - is getting plenty of use.

From July 1 through Dec. 31, the help line received 13,083 calls. That's more than 70 calls a day.

The center was created to be a one-stop service to connect people to the help they need. Over the phone, specially trained staff help people decide if they need emergency care or whether they can come in for assessments and referrals to outpatient services.

More than 122,000 people in Greater Cincinnati regularly abuse alcohol and other drugs, according to the Alcoholism Council; but most are not getting treatment.

The Recovery Health Access Center number is 281-7422.

E-mail tbonfield@enquirer.com