When you gather with your family this holiday season, the greatest gift you can give to one another could be an honest discussion about aging. By openly sharing your concerns, adult children and parents can learn how to face the challenges of old age together without creating undue stress or burdens.

If you are squeamish about having this dialogue — especially about whether parents will need to live with their children someday — you are not alone. According to a 2001 study conducted by AARP, three-quarters of adult children think about their parents' ability to live independently, but one-third of the children surveyed avoid the topic with them. Parents have the same reluctance: Nearly 70 percent said they think about their ability to live independently, but more than a third of them said they don't broach the subject with their children.

To help overcome this generational communication gap, here are 10 conversation-starting questions that adult children should ask their parents, as well as resources for dealing with these often difficult issues.