DEAR HARRIETTE: I am an entrepreneur with a small business. For several years now, I have worked without an assistant because I just couldn’t afford to have help. Recently, I hired one full-time helper, but I realize I need more help. There is just too much work for this one person to handle. Amazingly, during this period of quarantine, my business is growing. We have been working around the clock, it seems, to respond to calls and to handle new business.

I am so grateful, but I am also afraid to add to my bottom-line expenses. After more than two months of working every day including weekends, with no real time off, my assistant and I are exhausted, and I know I have to do something. How can I be sure that I will be able to keep a second person on the payroll in these uncertain times? -- Afraid To Expand

DEAR AFRAID TO EXPAND: Instead of succumbing to fear, do the math. With a bookkeeper or accountant, review your finances and trends in your business. Go over projections for the next year based on your current work and what you anticipate in the coming months. Review what you will need to pay in taxes and in operating expenses. Also, write down where you want your business to be in the next year.

If it seems that you will have enough resources to hire another worker, bring the person on as an hourly, part-time employee. Make it clear to the new hire that this is a test period to see if the person is a fit for your company and whether you have the resources to hire somebody full time.

DEAR HARRIETTE: In response to "Go to the Doctor," we had a local celebrity who faced the same diagnosis and was reluctant to see a doctor. His wife wrote him a very sincere and emotional letter expressing how much she loved him, how he had enriched her life, and the effect his loss would have on her future. It was quite personal, but he read her letter to his listening audience in hopes that it would persuade other men to see the situation through their wife's eyes and get to the doctor ASAP.

It was an emotionally difficult read for him, and he had this listener in tears. But it worked! He immediately made a call to his doctor and completed his cancer treatment program. Perhaps this approach would do some good for your writer too. I wish her luck! -- Cancer in Texas

DEAR CANCER IN TEXAS: Thank you for sharing this story. For everyone out there who is afraid to go to the doctor to learn what is ailing you and get it treated, take heed. The incredible benefit of modern medicine is that many illnesses can be diagnosed in a timely manner, and often there are options for treatment. Your life is precious. Rise above your fear, and please seek support. Ask a friend or loved one to accompany you, if you will accept the moral support. Your life is worth saving.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: My kids and I just watched the first presidential debate, and everybody is so upset. My kids are in middle school, and all they kept saying is that the candidates were acting like they were misbehaving schoolchildren. One of my kids said the two men were acting like they were in kindergarten.

I don’t really know what to tell my kids. Of course, the candidates shouldn’t have acted like that, but it seems like this is the new normal. What can I say to my kids to help them know what I expect and what our values are when our leaders are acting so poorly? -- Throw My Hands Up

DEAR THROW MY HANDS UP: Stick to expressing your values to your children. Point out that when people yell at and over each other, nobody's heard and nothing is accomplished. Remind them that learning how to talk to each other is a key to good, respectful communication. Note that, sadly, sometimes adults fail to follow that basic rule -- which doesn’t make it right.

Give them hope by letting them know that they are the next generation of leaders. It is incumbent on them to learn how to communicate effectively, to commit to being strong in their research and convictions and to practice how to listen and be heard. While neither you nor they can control these men who are vying for the most important job in the world, they can do their part to ensure that when it is their turn to lead -- from roles in school and extracurricular groups right now to government in the future -- they must be ready to lead with dignity.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My mother has been hospitalized for COVID-19 for two weeks now, and the experience for the family has been horrible. Rarely can we get a nurse on the phone to give us updates. The doctor seems to be a phantom. Only once have we been able to reach him. The nurses have asked us to stop calling so much because we are disrupting their day. We have countered by asking if anyone can put our mother on the phone just so we can hear her voice. We aren’t certain of the status of her condition and don’t know what to do to receive better communication. What do you recommend? -- Disconnected

DEAR DISCONNECTED: Even all these months after COVID-19 began ravaging our communities and straining our hospital capacity, lingering problems of poor communication, and sometimes neglectful care, plague us. I have no magic bullet, but I have talked to some people in the field and can make some simple recommendations.

Assign one family member as the designated contact person. This will help the hospital staff to have one person to talk to and to contact with updates. Call the hospital in between shifts when nurses are more likely to be at the nurses’ station. Be kind and clear. Ask for specific information as calmly as you can. Build a rapport with nurses if at all possible. If they care about you and your mother, your chances increase for finding out key details of your mother’s status and care. Contact a supervisor if you are getting no results. Reserve sharp tones for moments when you need to escalate in order to advocate for your mother.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: My father is in a nursing home, and he recently fell. He needs more care than this place has to offer. My sister, who lives in the area, has been handling things, but now we have to make tough decisions. She has been asking me and my brother to weigh in so that she doesn’t have to do everything herself. I feel weird about that.

Since I’m not there, how can I really be of help? I can’t see what’s going on with him, while she has much more access. I feel like she should have full authority to do whatever she thinks is right. My brother, on the other hand, has lots of opinions. She seems to be OK with what he has to say. I feel uncomfortable chiming in. What do you recommend that I do? -- Daddy Issues

DEAR DADDY ISSUES: It can feel burdensome for the local adult child to have to make all the decisions for an ailing parent. Your sister has asked for your opinion because she values it and needs it. It actually is selfish of you not to share your thoughts, whatever they are. Your sister honestly needs your support.

Pay close attention to what’s happening with your father. Do research when required. Learn as much as you can about what he is facing so that you can offer informed recommendations or thoughts when she asks. You can also be crystal clear that while you are happy to supply information, you defer to her in the decision-making, as she is the one on the ground seeing the situation play out in real time.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My employer recently informed us that we will not go back into the office physically until next year sometime -- probably not until midyear. I have an expensive apartment and have been thinking about giving up my lease and moving to my dream town. Right now, I live in Manhattan, and I feel like I’m too physically close to people to be safe moving about. So I just stay inside all the time.

Where I want to move is much less densely populated, and I know I can take hikes and fish and enjoy the outdoors without being too close to anyone. I can work from there, enjoy the great outdoors and save money without anybody being the wiser. I won’t keep it a secret, but it doesn’t matter where I live as long as I get my work done. Do you think it is smart for me to give up my New York City digs and go on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure? -- Making a Move

DEAR MAKING A MOVE: You are part of a growing group of people who are moving during the age of COVID-19. Many people have moved back home with their parents to save money and be quarantined together. Others have given up expensive homes to save money, and some -- like you -- are using this moment to check an item off their bucket lists. I say go for it! When the dust settles, trust that you will find the right place to live.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)