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.
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!