Posted on: April 30, 2023
In an ideal world, we could perfectly compartmentalize our caregiving duties, staying with a routine that met the needs of our aging parents, while enabling the time needed to take care of our wide variety of other responsibilities. But needless to say, life doesn’t adhere to our desired script, and contradicting needs are common when caring for senior loved ones. Many older adults resist the need for help, while others may come to rely too heavily on an adult child, leading to unmet expectations and ultimately irritation for both parties.
Alivity Care Advocates’ senior care professionals provide the following recommendations to help explain expectations and communicate successfully:
- Emphasize empathy. In place of pulling away from a senior whose expectations seem unreasonable, stop and empathize. Think through the problems your parent is facing, and how it might feel to be in his or her shoes. Then communicate your sincere concern and wish to help.
- Permit each other to be heard. Start a dialogue with your senior loved one, encouraging him or her to talk about how it feels to be in need of care, and what sort of care is necessary. Ascertain what the older adult’s goals are, and then share your own personal expectations and limitations in having the capacity to fully meet his or her needs.
- Compromise to get to a solution. Finding a resolution that works well for both of you might be much less difficult than you might think. For example, in the event the senior expects help with transportation based on a specific schedule several times per week, perhaps you can offer that assistance one day, while enlisting assistance from others to cover additional days. This allows for increased socialization for the senior along with the healthy life balance you need.
Alivity Care Advocates, the top rated senior care advocate, is here to help as well, with senior care management services that ensure life is the very best it can be for your aging parents, through services such as:
- Guidance, counseling, and support for family caregivers
- Placement recommendations
- Home safety evaluations
- Crisis management
- Community resources
- Medical care management
- Ongoing monitoring and support
- And much more
Reach out to us at (248) 375-9125 to share the challenges you’re facing, and to let us share how we can help. Visit our Service Area page to see if our Michigan care advocate services are available in your area.