Do you remember the classic book Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson, with a foreword by leadership expert Ken Blanchard? Its memorable message was about adaptability—understanding that change is inevitable and recognizing when it’s time to go looking for the “cheese” that has moved.

We know change is inevitable, yet altering our circumstances can be incredibly difficult. We stay stuck for many reasons: fear of someone else’s reaction, uncertainty about the consequences of making a change, or simply not knowing what resources are available to help us.

My experience is that people will often remain stuck in their pain until it becomes so overwhelming that they finally yell, “Uncle!” By then, what might have been manageable has often become a crisis—a juggernaut barreling toward a desert of uncertainty and increasingly unmanageable circumstances.

Some people adapt quickly to change. They recognize the warning signs, anticipate a pending crisis, and begin looking for solutions. Others remain frozen until the instinct to fight or flee finally takes over.

And sometimes, the ability to reason through a solution is itself changing.

I often see subtle signs long before a diagnosis of dementia: a bad decision here, a questionable or predatory relationship there. Changes in judgment and executive functioning can make someone more vulnerable, particularly when they are seeking emotional connection, companionship, or financial opportunity. When danger is lurking, the inability to recognize it and respond quickly can leave us vulnerable to others.

There is a consequence to every decision we make—even when the decision is to make no decision at all. Some consequences are minor; others can alter the course of our lives.

Which brings me to the importance of planning.

We plan weddings. We plan vacations. We plan for retirement. Yet surprisingly few of us take the time to create a vision of aging.

What do you want your later years to look like? Where do you want to live? Who will help you if you need care? Who will make decisions if you no longer can? And perhaps most importantly, how will you pay for the care you may need?

Increasingly, financial planners and investment advisors are coming to us to help their clients answer these questions and develop a plan for aging successfully.

My friend Stan Israel, an expert in long-term care insurance, recently pointed me toward a Forbes article titled Why Long-Term Care Planning Could Be a Defining Wealth Issue of the Next Decade. It’s an important conversation. With the cost of 24/7 care in California—and in many other parts of the country—potentially reaching tens of thousands of dollars per month, understanding the alternatives for funding care has become essential.

For many families, those costs simply aren’t sustainable over the long term. That is precisely why the conversation needs to happen before the crisis.

So, who do you have in your back pocket to help complete your plan?

Ideally, your aging team should include your physician, attorney, financial planner, and care manager—professionals who can work together to help protect your health, finances, wishes, and independence.

Life has a way of moving our cheese around when we least expect it.

The question is: When your cheese moves, will you be prepared to find it?