The senior population is growing in the United States, while the younger population is declining compared to previous generations. This means that more people are taking care of aging parents.
Unfortunately, this is no easy task. Senior citizens deal with many different issues, some of which we still don’t know how to solve. As people age, their minds and bodies may deteriorate.
With all of the health risks your parents might encounter, it can be hard to keep them healthy. The good news is that you’re not going through it alone. We’ll offer some friendly advice in the paragraphs below.
Discuss the Situation with Your Parents
You hear a lot about how seniors are supposedly stubborn, but it’s not hard to see why. For some reason, talking to them about their own life situation and healthcare isn’t seen as a necessity.
We understand the temptation, especially if your loved one’s mental state is starting to decline. However, you need to keep them involved for as long as you can.
Two of the rungs on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs are belonging and self-esteem. Being consistently ignored undermines both of these.
Be Realistic
This is one of the largest sources of conflict between children and their elderly parents. Let’s face it, nobody ever wants to go to a nursing home or an assisted living facility.
If given the choice, we’d all live out the rest of our days in our own homes, but we can’t always do that. Many of us reach a point where we can’t effectively meet all our needs by ourselves. Others have very little trouble going about their lives but are at risk of losing autonomy if they are ever injured.
Another part of being realistic is knowing yourself. We all love our parents and we want what’s best for them, but we’re not always able to help them.
Between work and school for our kids, it can be difficult to find time for them. Money is another issue. We may have time but aren’t financially capable of providing that much.
Understand the Types of Facilities
If you need to find a more suitable home for your parent, you’ll need to know what they need. For those with Alzheimer’s, Dementia, or other memory disorders, you might try memory care, which focuses on these types of issues.
There are also assisted living facilities for those who need little care and supervision, and CCRCs, for those who need more care but still want to live semi-independently. You can find some of these facilities near you by searching at findcontinuingcare.com.
How to Care for Aging Parents
Dealing with aging parents can be a difficult task, especially when it comes to making tough decisions. However, knowing how to go about it can make things so much easier.
We’ve offered a few pieces of advice in this article, but this is a complex process, so there’s a lot more to learn. Talking to doctors and nurses will likely help, and more research couldn’t hurt either.
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