How to Keep Them Safe and Independent

It’s difficult to watch your aging loved ones struggle with the day-to-day tasks of living. You want to help them, but you don’t know what they need or how much is too much. The best thing you can do if you don’t know How to Keep Them Safe and Independent is offer assistance with simple tasks and respect their autonomy by giving them the opportunity to help themselves.

How to Keep Them Safe and Independent

It’s also important not to take over for them, but it is equally important that they know they are loved and that you’re there to support them in any way possible!

How to Keep Them Safe and Independent

Keeping the elderly independent comes with much responsibility from all parties involved. The parent, the children and at times even caregiver can feel frustrated by this process. I’ve found that parents enjoy their independence as long as they’re safe and secure in their homes. Even if their physical abilities aren’t what they used to be, it’s important for them to feel like they can do things for themselves while living alone.

When you come into the picture, this whole scenario becomes a balancing act on your part. And it’s not easy! You want your parents to feel independent but safe at the same time. 

First, you may need to evaluate whether your parent’s home is safe and secure enough for them to live by themselves. If the answer is yes, then set up some simple rules that will help ensure their safety but also allow them to maintain their independence.

How to Keep Them Safe and Independent

The following are some of my suggestions…

Offer Assistance with Simple Tasks

Remember that you may not know all the struggles your loved one is going through, so it’s important to offer assistance without being presumptuous. You can ask them if there are any tasks they need help with (like cleaning the house or doing the laundry).

Then, offer to take on some of those tasks. If they don’t want your help, that’s okay! Just be sure to give them an opportunity to tell you what they need in their own words.

Offer Assistance with Simple Tasks

Respect their Autonomy

After you’ve offered assistance, respect the elderly loved one’s decision to either accept your help or not. It can be difficult to watch them struggle with a task that is second nature to you, but it might just be frustrating for them and they simply need someone to observe.

Respecting their autonomy by giving them the opportunity to help themselves is important, no matter what they need help with. You may be used to giving orders and leading tasks to completion, but that’s not the best approach for a loved one who may have different needs.

Instead, offer to help when they’re doing something and see if they’ll let you do some of the tasks involved. For instance, if you want to help them clean up their kitchen, ask them if it would be okay with them if you washed the dishes while they sweep.

Sometimes your loved one has other skills that are still functional but are just waiting to re-surface. Offer encouragement and praise for anything they can do without assistance. This will give them the confidence to help themselves!

Respect their autonomy

As a caregiver for your aging parent, you are probably very concerned about them being safe and healthy. However, there is one thing that you can do to help keep your family healthier than any other precaution:

You have to let go of control.

Loving the elderly is a choice, but it’s something you have to do without your own selfish interests in mind. By allowing your parent to maintain their independence during their later years, you are doing them and your entire family a great service.  You can’t control everything that happens around you, but if you’re confident that both they and you are safe and sound, you’ll be relieved of worry.  

Being able to let go of control has been one of the biggest challenges for me in dealing with a loved one’s personal needs on my own.  I didn’t want them to struggle with things they were used to doing without effort, but I had to remind myself that it was as much for me as it was for them:  I couldn’t control everything.  

In fact, I realized that I did more harm than good by always trying to take over because of my own need to feel in-charge.  It wasn’t until I stepped back and allowed my parent’s independence to flourish again that I was able to relax and enjoy our time together more.  

You have to let go of control.

When you’re consistently worried about your loved one doing something wrong, it’s difficult for them to feel secure that you actually love them for who they are.

How to Keep Them Safe and Independent: Support them

Don’t take over for them, but make sure they know you’re there to support them in any way possible! Remember that your loved one may be used to doing certain tasks on their own and may have anxiety in new situations. Offer help with simple tasks like taking the garbage out or going to the store.

If they tell you they don’t need help, ask them what you can do to help them. It’s important that they know that you’re there for them no matter what. It’s also important not to take over for them, but it is equally important that they know you’re there to support them in any way possible!

How to Keep Them Safe and Independent

The bottom line:

It is important not to take over for your aging loved ones, but it is equally important that they know you’re there to support them in any way possible!

Make sure they are safe and secure while maintaining their independence is a joyous undertaking. It may seem daunting at first, but with some practice, you should be able to do it easily. Good luck!

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5 Independent Living Tips for Seniors: Staying Active

Independent Living Tips for Seniors? You’ve just retired and you’re ready to move forward with your next stage of life. Living independently might be a new experience for you, so how do you make the adjustment?

5 Independent Living Tips for Seniors: Staying Active

Living on your own can be rewarding, but it does require some adjustments. Here are 5 independent living tips that will help seniors stay active in their daily lives and continue to live an engaged lifestyle.

5 Independent Living Tips for Seniors: Staying Active

My five independent living tips for seniors are important to follow for a better quality of life. These five independent living tips for seniors involve dependence on others outside the home, yet can help those less likely to have to live in a retirement home or other less than ideal situation.

These five independent living tips for seniors are in no particular order. Deciding whether to live alone, with relatives, or in another setting is one where all factors should be considered carefully.

Have A Call and Stop-By List In Place

Living alone doesn’t mean living lonely. For seniors, you must have at least a couple of people outside your home watching your back every week. Have them call you or stop by your house once or twice a week to make sure you are alright, and to provide some human contact. Owning a pet can also provide companionship and protection.

This is the most important thing to do and will help you maintain a higher quality of life.

Independent Living Tips for Seniors

Hire Out or Find Volunteers For Strenuous and/or Risky Household Chores

Unless you’re fit and agile and have even discussed doing strenuous or risky household chores with your doctor, find a volunteer to do this or hire someone for these tasks.

What kind of chores are we talking about?

Heavy lifting, moving furniture, shoveling snow in the winter, getting on a ladder and cleaning out the storm gutters, and taking out the trash.

There are many people who would be happy to help you with these chores in exchange for food or money, or they might do it because they want to lend a hand and feel like part of your family.

These chores aren’t worth breaking a bone or having a heart attack over. If you do decide to take on these tasks, at the very least, have someone help you.

Hire Out or Find Volunteers

Create a Home Evacuation Plan

No matter if you live alone or with others, fires and other natural disasters can create a difficult situation when trying to immediately evacuate a home. This is especially true for fires.

Call your local fire department official(s) (a city, county, or state fire agency) and have them visit your home to advise you on making it safer and more ready-made for safe evacuation.

And make sure that you have a list of the medications and other medical supplies you use handy, and give a copy of this list to a trusted person who can advise medical staff in the event of an emergency.

Make Sure Your Legal Affairs Are In Order

Being independent means being smart when it comes to managing your personal affairs of financial, property, and medical aspects of your life. Consult a lawyer about powers of attorney, especially for health care and finances (in the event of incapacitation).

Make Sure Your Legal Affairs Are In Order

Make sure you have a will and that it’s updated to reflect your wishes. Don’t leave your family and loved ones in the lurch in the event of your passing or incapacitation.

We can go into the legal ramifications of what a will or living trust is later, but it is important to talk to your financial planner or lawyer and get this taken care of. If you don’t currently have either of those people handy, check with your local bank and see if they can help you.

If Possible, Have a “Life Alert” Type of System Set-Up in Your Home

Falling is the number cause of accidental injury for people 65 and older who are at home. What happens if you fall and can’t get up and aren’t near a phone nor are people nearby to hear you?

If you can afford to do so or can find a locally-based program that covers the cost, set up a “Life Alert” type of system that lets you immediately alert emergency personnel in the event of an accident or other emergency via a worn point of contact gadget.

Independent Living Tips for Seniors

One of the best ways to stay independent is by staying active. Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean being physically fit, it means keeping your mind and body busy through activities like reading books, playing board games or cards with friends and family members (or strangers!), going on walks outside amongst nature – there’s so much more than just gardening, taking classes, learning a new skill and keeping your brain busy by learning to play an instrument.

Some of these activities you can do on your own time, but others might require some help from family members or friends.

No matter what activity you choose, make sure that it keeps both the mind and body active! Living independently doesn’t mean just staying at home and going on a walk once in a while.

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Gifts for Seniors – 10 Great Ideas

The holidays are coming up, and you may be wondering what gifts to get for the seniors in your life. It can be difficult during these busy times of year to find gifts that they will enjoy.

Gifts for Seniors - 10 Great Ideas

We have compiled a list of 10 great gifts for seniors– including ones for those who live independently or with family, as well as gifts for nursing home residents.

Gifts for Seniors – 10 Great Ideas

Are you having a hard time buying a gift for a senior loved one? Gifts are really hard to buy for people as they get older, but gifting a senior citizen doesn’t have to be hard, it just needs to come from the heart.

The easiest way to gift a senior citizen is to give something that the senior citizen could not so easily buy. Here are ten gift ideas for your favorite senior citizen:

Homemade bread.

A senior citizen often likes something sweet with coffee for afternoon snacks, so why not whip up a loaf of homemade banana bread or homemade apple bread for your favorite senior citizen? Wrap it in foil or plastic wrap and top it with a bow. This makes a perfect anytime gift for your favorite senior citizen.

You can try a variety of baked goods to keep things fresh – like some of these great ideas we found:

Gifts for Seniors - 10 Great Ideas

A Casserole.

Cooking a meal is sometimes exhausting for a senior citizen, so why not bake a delicious one-meal casserole and deliver it up as a gift for your favorite senior citizen. You can leave the casserole dish as part of the gift, or you can offer ongoing refills on a weekly/monthly basis just for your favorite senior citizen returning the dish each time.

May I suggest breaking it down into smaller portions first? That way a few can go into the freezer for later use. Who wants to eat the same thing night after night? If you did this for a few months with different casseroles, eventually they would have a freezer full of a nice variety.

Lawn mowing.

It’s a tough job to mow the lawn in the heat, especially for a senior citizen. So, why not save your favorite senior citizen the trouble by gifting a lawn mowing? Not only will this serve as a helpful gift for your favorite senior citizen, but it’ll also make you feel better about yourself, and you might even get a glass of tea out of the deal.

Lawn mowing

Trip to the beauty/barbershop.

Is your favorite senior citizen on a fixed income? If so, he/she might not be able to afford that special attention from a beauty shop/barbershop. So, why not take your favorite senior citizen for a haircut, hairstyle, or a permanent one? You drive; you pay. This is one of the best senior citizen gifts as it helps their self-esteem too!

Even a manicure or pedicure could be a huge treat – pedicures are great if they have diabetes, it helps you subtly keep an eye on their health.

A hand-delivered meal.

A senior citizen often enjoys getting a home-cooked plate of food cooked by someone else, so why not dish out a plate for your favorite senior citizen when you cook your own family a meal? You might want to be careful with the spices. As a person ages, spices tend to agree less with the digestive system.

It can be nice to whip up a few that only need a quick zap in their microwave – and they often taste better than the options from meals on wheels.

A hand-delivered meal

Outing to a senior dance.

Give your favorite senior citizen the chance to mingle with people his/her own age by taking your favorite senior citizen to a senior citizen dance. You can dance, too. The evening will provide both of you with some good exercise and some good company.

Trust me – some of those seniors might easily out dance you – after all, they know every step!

A Night at bingo.

A night at bingo can really pep up the spirits of your favorite senior citizen. Bingo helps with thinking/reaction skills, and the good news is that it doesn’t cost a lot to spend an afternoon at bingo. Play a card or two while you both sip on sodas, and your favorite senior citizen will walk away with a smile stretched across his/her face.

If it is at your local casino? Go for the buffet too!

A Night at bingo

Visit the senior citizen center.

Many towns provide senior citizen centers, and these centers offer a variety of activities, so treat your senior citizen to a ride to your local senior citizen center. Your favorite senior citizen will have the chance to play dominoes, shuffleboard, or other activities during the visit.

If you don’t have a senior center, check our local parks and recreation guide for different activities. Often they have great bargaining power and get amazing deals for all participants.

Dominoes.

Want a fun time with your favorite senior citizen? Why not gift your favorite senior citizen with a nice set of dominoes and then set up a weekly domino night. You can build on that gift by baking a loaf of banana bread, etc, and run on over one night a week for some good clean fun with your favorite senior citizen.

If Dominoes aren’t your thing – there are so many other great games for 2 people to play: GO is a great example. It originated in China in ancient times. It was considered one of the four essential arts of a cultured Chinese scholar in antiquity and is described as a worthy pastime for a gentleman in the Analects of Confucius. Maybe Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, Cribbage? Maybe try a new game every month!

Dominoes

Day of housecleaning.

Even a senior citizen who lives in a small apartment might have a hard time keeping a clean house due to mobility/energy issues. Worse yet, with declining eye issues they fail to see how bad things might really be getting.

Worst-case scenario? They have bugs in their pantry and aren’t even aware that they are getting extra protein with their daily cereal. I only mention this as it is something we had to deal with. Even the couch my mother-in-law practically lived in had little creatures living off the crumbs she had dropped.

So, why not share your abundant mobility/energy by helping out with some household chores. You don’t even have to completely clean the house. Just do the dishes or vacuum the floors.

Day of housecleaning

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5 Great Activities For Seniors This Summer

Activities For Seniors? The summer months are just around the corner and it’s time to start thinking about activities for your senior loved one. While you might think activities like golf, shuffleboard, or going on a cruise ship would be perfect, these activities can be too strenuous for seniors who don’t have mobility impairments.

5 Great Activities For Seniors This Summer

However, there are plenty of fun activities that can keep your senior active this summer without breaking a sweat! Here is a look at 5 easy activities that will make your loved one happy this summer season:

5 ways to keep your senior active this summer

The summer is a great time to get out and about and enjoy some fresh air. However, when the weather turns extremely hot, everyone needs to be conscious of their activity level when having fun in the sun.

Why is it important for seniors to be kept active? Seniors who are inactive can be prone to heart disease, cancer, and arthritis. But that’s not all. Inactivity can also lead to obesity and if mental decline has started? It can rapidly take hold.

Everyone needs to feel like they make a difference – Meaningful Activities are important

Luckily, there are activities that will keep your loved one active this summer!

Senior citizens and children especially need to focus on staying hydrated and beating the heat whenever possible. Still, summer activities for seniors do not have to be solely indoor experiences. By doing a little research, even they can get outside, get moving and enjoy the warmer months. Here are a few ideas to get things going:

A Morning Walk

A Morning Walk

The morning is a great time to get outside and talk a nice stroll. Before the afternoon sun starts beating down harshly on the pavement and the day is still relatively cool, planning a walk around the neighborhood is a great form of exercise.

However, if a hiking trail has some good stable terrain, such as paving stones or crushed limestone, getting some time with nature is a great idea. Hiking trails should be researched for length and material prior to embarking on any journey, though, just to make sure the trip can be completed before things start to get too hot to handle.

Activities For Seniors: Go Swimming

Taking a dip in the pool is a great way to cool off, and even senior citizens can benefit from the activity of being in the water. A quick check of available public pools will often reveal special senior hours where the facility is at its disposal. Plus, hanging out with the grandkids at their backyard pool is a great way to enhance the family bonds.

Just follow the general pool safety rules: no running, stay near the wall and wear water shoes to avoid slipping on wet surfaces. Above all, never, ever swim alone.

Activities For Seniors: Go Swimming

You can take a trip to the beach too. Surfside activities are often less intense during the day and can be a great way to get some exercise. Of course, just like with any other activity involving water, make sure your senior loved one is wearing sunscreen while on the beach so they don’t burn or develop skin cancer.

Take Day Trips

Summer is a great time to grab the family and take a day trip to the zoo or even just the park. Even packing up for a picnic lunch can be a great time if the weather does not want to cooperate; simply head out to a local mall and move the party to the food court or a restaurant.

Even checking out a movie or two at the local multiplex (taking advantage of the senior citizen discount) can be a great way to spend the lazy summer afternoons.

If you are dealing with declining mental issues, things like museums or free concerts are a perfect fit! It has been proven that activities such as these can improve mood and motivation as both colors and music make a huge impact.

Take Day Trips

Your local Parks and Rec guide might have fun events to a local town via bus for day trips at a budget price. Museums, aquariums, and even casinos might be available for activities to keep your loved one active this summer.

Don’t knock casinos before you try them – they often have great shows and incredible buffets! Some even have great cultural museums. You can spend a day there and never touch a slot machine.

Activities For Seniors: Try Volunteering

Recent developments in the economy have presented a number of places to volunteer. Many seniors have great life experience that allows them to be experts on a variety of topics. What better way to whittle down the summer days than by sharing those experiences with others?

Just about every church or civic organization is constantly looking for volunteers. Generally, a simple phone call can produce several opportunities for summer activities.

Schools are usually begging for help with the younger kids. I know COVID has changed a few protocols, but with the vaccinations, there is hope that schools will be open to volunteers soon.

Activities For Seniors: Try Volunteering

Take Up A New Hobby

Trying something new is a great way to exercise the mind. Often the mental acuity is involved in learning a new pastime. Everything from arts and crafts to new sports is really on the table.

Sometimes even spending the winter making a list of things to try in the summer is a great way to figure out exactly what to do. Sometimes, the best things are discovered later in life and present new challenges. It is never too late to try something totally unfamiliar.

To sum it all up, it is important that seniors never stop activities. The summer months present a number of opportunities to enjoy time with loved ones, partake in activities available at any hour, and try new things. The only thing standing in their way? The knowledge of what all they could be doing.

Take Up A New Hobby

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How to Handle Aging Parents and Stubbornness

Aging Parents and Stubbornness? I know, it seems a strange thing to consider. As people grow older, they tend to get a lot more stubborn and difficult to deal with, and people who have to handle seniors will have endless stories to tell. After numerous research and assessments, medical experts have noted the reasons behind why the elderly get so stubborn as they age.

How to Handle Aging Parents and Stubbornness

Reports show that children who have to deal with their parents get frustrated regularly as their parents’ level of strong-headedness is too much. Children realize that whenever they make suggestions that would benefit their parents and provide safety, they retaliate and decide on their own. They seem to have a mind of their own and don’t want to take orders from everybody.

Psychology experts have noted that one of the main reasons for this behavior is that parents and children have different goals, and they want them to be achieved on their own terms.

Aging Parents and Stubbornness

Apparently, aging parents want to exercise their rights to independence, like going to the grocery store independently. However, children may see this as a potential threat to them, especially if they have other illnesses that might affect their ability to function alone effectively. There is generally no agreement on terms of living and the activities they can engage in.

Why Are Seniors So Stubborn?

Seniors become stubborn as they get older, and it doesn’t seem like a major issue to them. They prefer to go by their own rules, and seeing their children or caregivers have to deal with the attitude is not always easy to handle. Their uncooperative behavior frustrates their children as their definition of independence differs.

Numerous things lead to seniors becoming so stubborn, and one of the main reasons is depression. Bear in mind, depression is caused by many things, and when these seniors can’t seem to have their own way, they vent with their actions.

Not being able to go out freely as they used to is another factor that leads to them becoming stubborn. Some additional factors that contribute to seniors’ rude behavior include dementia, fear of dying, anger, anxiety, isolation, and the thought of being placed in a nursing home.

How Do You Deal With Stubborn Aging Parents?  

When dealing with seniors, there are certain approaches to take if you don’t want to get swallowed up by their stubborn behavior. We all know how they can be at times, and it hasn’t proven easy sometimes to cope with taking care of them and balancing every other aspect of your life. When you have them to deal with, here are some steps to help you out…

Know How To Handle Select Situations

If there is a habit your elderly loved one has and is not causing any issues, you can probably leave that alone. However, if other things could threaten their lives, it is best to tackle that first.

For instance, if you are scared they can’t manage the stove on their own and don’t want them to cook, it is best to leave limited food in the house that requires cooking before consumption. This way, they won’t be able to engage in that practice.

Know When To Have Conversations

It is not a good option to pop in on them and say you want to talk. You have to make plans regarding the location, time, and who should be present when you are talking to them. Try to test their tolerance level and understand what moods they comply in the most.

Don’t Shut Them Out

When you are making serious family decisions, it is important not to leave them out as they may have some critical knowledge and experience we could do well with. Marginalizing them will somewhat make them feel useless, hopeless, and unwanted and, in return, might become rebellious.

Ask For Their Opinion

Don’t go around ordering them and telling them what to do, as this will trigger them to respond harshly to you. Instead, try to get their opinion on certain matters and see how best you can make it workable for their comfort and safety.

For sure, having a conversation will be hard when dealing with Aging Parents and Stubbornness, so with this approach, you have to expect a response like no other.  

Is Stubbornness a Sign of Dementia?

Dementia has the ability to change one’s personality and overall behavior. So, once you are dealing with a senior, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if you encounter a little stubbornness once in a while.

Seeing dementia sometimes makes them unaware of their surroundings and the people involved, they don’t do too well adapting to change. Forcing them might see these seniors rebelling.

What Are The 10 Warning Signs of Dementia?

With the general statement that aging people suffer from memory loss, many people might be overlooking dementia and not realize it. Here are 10 warning signs to look out for…

1. Difficulty in Finding Suitable Words

They may not always find the right words to express their thoughts, making general conversation with them very hard and sometimes long.

2. Problems With Short-term Memory

Things that happened well over 50 years ago live fresh in their minds, yet what they did up to an hour ago is hard for them to remember. Also, forgetting what they may have entered a room to do is an early sign of dementia.

3. Mood Swings

If you realize your elderly loved ones now have heavy mood swings, you might want to start thinking about early dementia. One moment they are happy and excited to do something they love, and within minutes, they feel a sudden urge not to want to do it anymore.

4. Apathy

Interest in doing what they used to enjoy is no longer a pull factor in getting them outdoors or grooving to have fun. They rather are by themselves and away from everyone.

5. Normal Tasks Now Hard

Seniors now realize that the things they could do on their own are relatively hard and form a challenge for them to complete. At one point, they could manage to do all their paperwork by themselves, but these days, they don’t even understand the contents.

6. Confusion

Life itself has become confusing for these seniors as they probably question their own existence and wonder why things happen the way they do. They find it hard to hold simple conversations, and this makes them withdrawn as socializing with their friends and family makes them confused as they don’t understand most of what is happening.  

7. Can’t Connect Stories

Have you ever tried telling them a story and realize they keep asking questions about what you previously said? This could be due to them not being able to follow through with a story, and with words being hard to understand, the conversation/story seems strange to them.

8. Failing Sense of Direction

If they can no longer find their way around places they knew very well, then dementia should be at the forefront of your mind. They can no longer recognize places they always visit, nor can they follow directions effectively.

9. Repeating Themselves

An early sign of dementia can be seen when seniors keep repeating themselves when engaged in a single conversation. You may notice they tell the same story as though they have never made mention of it before.

10. Unable to Accept Change

When seniors become a little drawback in accepting changes, they know early dementia is in full swing. If they are placed in a situation where they cannot relate or connect to, they may get rebellious and stubborn.

Loving your elderly loved ones is a must, but you have to ensure you have a lot of persistence and patience stored up when dealing with them. Trust us…you will need it when dealing with Aging Parents and Stubbornness!  

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How To Lighten The Load For Incredible CareGivers

Over 29 percent of Americans provide care for someone who is ill. Many of these incredible caregivers are adult children.

How do you encourage a caregiver?

The National Alliance for Caregiving reports that 48.9 million Americans care for an adult, relative, or friend.

How To Lighten The Load For Incredible CareGivers

The rewards of seeing an elderly parent recover from a health crisis, overcome depression, or return to health after a fall often outweigh the pressures that caregiving can bring.

Easing the Caregiving Process

Yet, the role of the caregiver is not light, and as Americans live longer, the number of adult children who find themselves caring for an aging parent might continue to increase. To make the caregiving process easier, adult children can:

  • Inspect their home for safety hazards (e.g., extension cords the aging parent could trip on, dim lights). The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has a home safety checklist adult children can review free of charge.
  • Install safety bars in bathrooms, hallways, and other areas where the elderly parent needs support when they stand.
  • Get information on the illness or condition (e.g., Alzheimer’s, depression) the aging parent has. Getting information will help alleviate surprises and reduce stress and worry as the adult child learns what to expect (e.g., their parent experiencing nausea due to side effects caused by taking certain medicines) as they continue to care for their parent.
  • Solicit the support of other relatives (like aunts, uncles, cousins). Ask family members if they will help with specific tasks like taking the parent to doctors’ appointments, preparing meals, doing the laundry, going grocery shopping, etc.
  • Meet the aging parent’s physicians. Talk to them about the progress the parent is making, changes that should be made to the elderly parent’s diet, exercise regimen, or daily routine.
  • Keep a record of physician telephone numbers, addresses, prescriptions, and the amounts of medicine the parent has been taking.

Soliciting Incredible Caregivers Support From Others

Because caring for an elderly parent can be taxing on an adult child’s finances, emotional and psychological states, and social life, it is essential that adult children who are caring for one or more aging parents set aside time to relax and enjoy themselves.

They should go to the movies, out to dinner, attend an entertainment event or visit a friend, and do so without feeling guilty for not being with their aging parent.

How can we reduce caregiver burden?

Adult children should also avoid feeling like they are solely responsible for caring for their aging parents. By reducing the need to think that they “owe” their parent every free second they have and by steering clear of the need to “do more” for their parent than other siblings, friends, or loved ones, adult children can reduce their stress levels.

As adult children seek support from relatives and friends and let go of the need to prove they love the aging parent most, a circle of support can be created.

Circle of Support for Adult Children

Adult children can then work with the circle of support (relatives, friends, church members) as a team. This alliance can help to reduce the desire to “protect” the parent from the outside world, a world the aging parent once thrived in and still needs to feel connected to others.

Caring for aging parents can cause adult children to experience stress and worry. These emotions are reduced when adult children solicit the support of other relatives and friends.

Keeping telephone numbers of the parent’s physicians and doctor’s appointments nearby can also help to reduce pressures adult children feel. With a strong circle of support, adult children who are caring for an aging parent can continue to enjoy their own lives.

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