Tips for Talking About Senior Care

Talking to someone that you love about senior care is rarely ever easy. Even if it is clear to you that they desperately need some assistance around the home, it might not be something that your mom or dad recognizes. Unfortunately, this can be a really hard talk to have with your parent. We’ve put together a few ideas here for you to make that difficult conversation a little easier. Maybe not everything here will apply directly to your family’s situation, but our hope is that it will give you more ideas so that this conversation can be a little easier on everyone involved.

 

First, let’s look at what the clear signs are that some sort of assistance is needed. These include (but are not limited to): a refusal to leave the house, difficulty or resistance to taking care of themselves, forgetting things like taking medications or eating meals, confusion when asked simple questions, or isolation from family and friends. These can be indicative of much larger problems such as a developing disability, dementia, or something else. In all of these instances, care would be helpful. It’s also important that if your parent begins to show signs of these things that you get them in touch with a doctor, too. If something like Alzheimer’s disease is beginning to become apparent, a medical approach to care will also be necessary.

 

Talking about senior care is rarely ever an easy thing to do.

 

Next, be sure to start this conversation before care is needed. Talking about wishes and desires in this area of their life will provide you with guidance for what kind of care is best for them, and will help you to make a more informed decision if for some reason they are unable to make that decision on their own. The sooner you start talking about care, the easier the conversation will become as it will be familiar and tough decisions will be arrived at gradually. It allows you and your loved one to get a chance to think and be more informed so that care is handled appropriately and not in a rushed manner.

 

Finally, there are a few rules that you should follow throughout this whole process. These things might be common sense, but they’re worth repeating. You should always be respectful and honest with your family. You should express your concerns, but do so in a way that is not accusatory or hurtful. Declining health is a difficult topic, both for you and the person experiencing that decline. It’s very easy that for them to feel defensive. There’s a chance that even if you are respectful that they will be hurt by the conversation. This isn’t easy, so you need to know when to take a step back and return to the conversation later.

 

Whatever you do, remember that you mom or dad has a unique set of needs. What works for others might not be the best for them, and vice versa. Be sure to take this into account when talking with them and give value to their wants and desires, too.

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