caregiving
It’s likely you are worried about an older adult in your life. You have probably wondered if they would be better off living in a retirement community. Have you made that suggestion? Only to be told “I will never move!” In “I will never move!” we address some of the common reasons older adults are resistant to moving and resistant to accepting help. It’s important to understand the situation from their perspective.
Helping a person in your care navigate health and cognitive changes can be a challenge. It’s not always easy, or successful.
How can you best prepare ahead of a crisis? Or have things in order ahead of when changes start to become evident? Do your homework and research ahead of your parent needing help. Here are some key areas to consider:
This is a common scenario and often what brings families to Aging Wisdom for our expert guidance: The parent that refuses help, especially when it’s clear they need it!
When families begin to see signs that an older adult needs help, how can they start having a conversation? Because nobody wants to say, “Hey mom, you need care. We need to move you.” How do you get there before there’s a crisis?
Having concerns about an older loved one’s well-being is normal. Striking the right balance between fostering independence and ensuring safety can be a struggle for adult children and other care partners.
Don’t we all need a ray of sunshine or a beacon of hope when life gets challenging?
The systems that families encounter as they help a loved one navigate health and memory changes are dysfunctional.
As Amy Cameron O’Rourke reflects in her book The Fragile Years: “Most adult children are poorly prepared for the life-changing events that send their once-independent parents and loves into the fragile zone.” (p. 15) It’s not unusual for families to experience a roller coaster of emotions.
As Lisa shares, part of the process of helping your parent is assessing the landscape and determining if their living situation is really a crisis and requires you to act. Or is there something you can do to make their home safer; an opportunity to insert a little bit of help by starting small?