Top Tips for Caring for Aging Parents—Even When They Expect A Lot
Partner with Responsive Home Care for superior help with caring for aging parents.
In a perfect world, we could compartmentalize our caregiving duties, staying with a routine that met the needs of a senior loved one, while allowing enough time to manage our myriad of other responsibilities. But needless to say, life does not adhere to our desired script, and conflicting needs are frequent when caring for an aging parent. Many older adults balk at the need for help, while others can come to rely too greatly on an adult child, leading to unfulfilled expectations and ultimately irritation for both parties.
Responsive Home Care’s senior care professionals offer the following tips to help explain expectations and communicate effectively when caring for aging parents:
- Emphasize empathy. As opposed to pulling away from a senior loved one whose demands seem unrealistic, stop and empathize. Think through the problems your parent is facing, and exactly how it might feel to be in his / her shoes. Then voice your honest concern and desire to help.
- Enable each other to be heard. Initiate a discussion with your senior loved one, encouraging her or him to convey how it feels to be in need of care, and what kind of care is necessary. Determine what the older adult’s goals are, and then share your personal expectations and limitations in having the capability to completely meet his or her needs.
- Compromise to come to a solution. Achieving a resolution that works well for both of you might be less difficult than you believe. For instance, in the event that the older adult expects help with transportation in accordance with a particular schedule several times a week, perhaps you can provide that assistance one day, while recruiting the help of others to cover additional days. This allows for increased socialization for the senior as well as the healthy life balance you need.
Responsive Home Care is prepared to partner family caregivers with highly skilled, carefully matched caregivers in Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding areas who are passionate about making life the very best it can be for older adults. Working together with Responsive Home Care enables adult children to make certain their aging parents are well cared for at all times, whether by filling in with respite care where needed, through around-the-clock live-in care, or any number of solutions in between. Just some of the many ways we can help include:
- Running errands
- Planning and preparing nourishing meals
- Keeping the home clean and neat
- Offering friendly companionship to brighten each day
- Creative and highly specialized care for those with dementia
- And much more
Give us a call at 954-486-6440 to discuss the challenges you’re facing, and also to learn how our caregivers in Fort Lauderdale, FL and surrounding areas can help. To learn more about all of the areas we serve in Florida, please visit our Service Area page.
