Talking To Older Parents About In-Home Care Plans
Establishing home care arrangements for aging parents is a hard task to do. It requires a lot of planning. It requires both of you seeing eye-to-eye and agreeing on a caregiver or nurse. When you’re trying to determine the best care plan for your parents, you should try to include your parents in on the discussion as much as possible. It may not be the most light-hearted subject, but there’s no better time than the present to prepare for the future. If you’re preparing to make care arrangements with your parents, consider the following tips: Talk About It Talking about future living arrangements and health care arrangements can be disheartening and intimidating. However, you don’t want to find yourself in a difficult situation before you’ve had the chance to talk about the options. Opening the discussion early between you and your parents can be difficult, but you shouldn’t put it off until it’s too late; many aging seniors develop memory loss or dementia in old age, which will make it much more difficult to find out how they feel about their care options. Take advantage of your parents being in good mental and physical health. This is the time to discuss a care plan, should something ever happen to you or them. For example, talk about possible relatives they’d like to look after them. Or you may want to find a caregiver together. If you haven’t already, you should discuss medical conditions that run in the family in order to determine what you should be on the look out for. These conversations are great for planning arrangements when your parents are no longer in the ideal mental or physical state to live on their own without the help of a caregiver or nurse. Recognize Your Loved One’s Needs You parents or grandparents have been role models to you. They’ve been your support system and a dependable caretaker for most of your life. The last thing you want is for them to feel as though they’ve lost all control of their own life.
As seniors, they still have the right to make all their own decisions. However, it is your responsibility to find balance. Try to prioritize their health and independence equally in order to make both parties happy and comfortable with whatever decision is ultimately made in regard to their care needs. You Win Some You Lose Some Although this conversation is meant to be helpful, it could turn heated rather quickly. You’ve had a handful of arguments with your parents. You’ve been right and you’ve been wrong. This conversation, although the context may differ greatly, is no different from conversations you’ve had in the past. You’ll have to agree to disagree on certain aspects of their future plans. Where you might see fit that they live with you, they may want to remain in their own home. Rather than giving into frustration, regroup and focus. You shouldn’t overlook their decision unless their health is in a seriously detrimental state. Be Aware Of Your Communication Skills As we mentioned earlier, your parents have always served as a guiding hand and support system. Therefore, it’s important to recognize that it is in everyone’s best interest to draw the distinction between offering advice and offering options. As adults, we never want to be told what to do. When friends approach us about difficult situations, we tend to pay more attention when we understand they’re simply concerned and looking out for us. The same idea applies to this situation involving you and your parents. Show them you’re simply trying to prepare in the event they need help taking care of themselves. Opening up dialogue is also crucial. You should focus on open-ended questions rather than simple yes or no questions. When you open up a discussion, you’re letting them know you care about what they have to say. You’re also letting them know they have a say about their future arrangements. Don’t Be Afraid To Include Additional Family Members Siblings, uncles, aunts and cousins are all part of your family and support system. They are there to help when they can. Sometimes we need the help of family and close friends to get through difficult situations. They can also serve as great resources. They may be able to offer sound and invaluable advice. You should never hesitate to ask your family members for references or recommended home health services when planning for your parent or grandparent’s future. You may find it useful to talk about the possibilities of different care options for your grandparents or parents with another family member. They can provide additional support and feedback for the future. However, it’s incredibly important to have these discussions in private. Be sure you’re on the same side. The last thing you want to do, is argue about the situation when talking to a loved one needing your help and support. Ask For Records And Legal Documents
You should always be aware of where your parents store important documents. These documents could include wills, bank statements, insurance policies and healthcare proxies. When discussing their legal documents, also talk about possible contacts that should be reached in the event that something unexpected has happened. This is also a great time to discuss financial arrangements. Establishing future living and healthcare arrangements for your parents is important, and truth is you can never be too safe. Planning and preparation aren’t easy. However, when you are able to establish trust and understanding with your loved one, it may be a lot easier to get through difficult situations later. Carelily.com is an affordable alternative to the traditional home care agency. Carelily allows you to find in-home care for yourself or a loved one online. Care seekers can post jobs to find qualified caregivers whose training and skills meet their needs. Scheduling and payment is all done through our sophisticated website, so you can manage your care, or the care of a loved one, from the comfort of your home. There is no cost to join, so visit Carelily.com today to get started.