Coming together for the holiday season allows families to spend time together and discuss plans and goals for life.

With Mother’s Day weekend being celebrated across the area, Home Instead Senior Care announced they’re offering free, new resources as part of the “Compose Your Life Song” public education program to offer support to women and their mothers as they plan for the future.

“It can often be a difficult discussion for families,” Melanie Bowman, Home Instead spokesperson, told the Elizabethton Star Friday. “A lot of children tend to avoid it with their parents. Roughly 70 percent of parents have a written will in place but only 13 percent have plans in place for the future. That’s where we hope to help with the resources available.”

CaregiverStress.com is a resource offered by Home Instead and provides the information part of the “Compose Your Life Song” program. The general public can view the different resources, ranging from final plans, end-of-life care, finances and insurance, available free of charge.

According to the Compose Your Life Song – North American Research Report, adults are less comfortable discussing plans for their parents’ final years (68 percent) than seniors are discussing their own plans (89 percent).

One key finding from the report showed that 41 percent of adults surveyed were more frightened thinking about when their parents could no longer care for themselves, more so than their parents’ deaths.

With different important measures needed to be discussed in all facets of life, Bowman added the hope is the public is able to use the resource as a way to have a more relaxed, open discussion with family members.

And the research from Compose Your Life Song shows the results in action. Of the individuals researched, seniors who discussed plans with their adult children felt more responsible (77 percent), prepared (76 percent), proactive (56 percent) and smart (56 percent).

The most telling number, according to Bowman, was that 88 percent of seniors stated the process made them feel more closer to their children.

“We’re a home care service, so we’re able to see this first hand,” Bowman said. “It can be tough for families. That’s the main reason we wanted to offer this service.”

Individuals can visit www.caregiverstress.com to learn more about the Compose Your Life Song program. Other resources offered by Home Instead can be researched by visiting their website.

“We’re always looking to provide the resources and programs necessary to the public,” Bowman said. “We want to be there for you.”