Discussing housing, health and finances with your parents can be a very intimidating task for many. In fact, some parents may turn hostile if they are approached the wrong way or if they misinterpret your intentions.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. For the well-being of your aging and elderly parents, it’s important to know when to have the tough conversation about senior care as well as how to go about it. By working with experts and geriatric psychologists, we’ve come up with a guide aimed at helping families in Calabasas start the senior care conversation and keep it positive for everyone. Let’s get started.
Step 1: Starting the conversation
While the first step always seems the most difficult, starting the tough conversation with your aging parents in Calabasas is much easier than you think. It’s all about making all attempts to keep the chat friendly, caring and also doing a great deal of listening. However, getting the timing right might be the most important factor.
Experts recommend trying to talk to your parents after a family gathering or visit. While family visits are a time of togetherness, reminiscing and celebrating, they also bring about evidence and recognition that time has passed and that your aging seniors may need additional help.
The best approach that always resonates with seniors is to have a meeting involving all their grown kids. This shows them that the whole family cares and will be there for them whenever they need it. It’s very important to create a connection by using a warm and inviting environment. Try to start with open-ended questions such as, “How are things around the house?” Once the setting is all done, it’s time to share, assess, and communicate.
Step 2: Shaping the conversation
Once you are sure that your parents are comfortable and willing to talk it out with all of you present, it’s time to shape the conversation. There’s nothing more valuable to the elderly than total honesty and respect, so make sure you give them that. Here’s how to properly shape your conversation.
There should be a very good reason why you are having the tough senior care talk. Everybody loves their freedom and privacy, so if your parents are still vigorous and capable of running their lives, then you shouldn’t force it on them. But if there are obvious signs that your parents need an extra hand, then this should be the basis of your conversation. However, we should point it out here that it might be prudent to have this type of conversation with your parents while they are still feeling well. It could be easier to reason with them, and they will probably feel more involved in the decisions that will shape their future.
Signs and visual cues such as neglected yards, broken appliances, expired foodstuff and a very disorganized house are just the first signs to watch out for, which can be fixed by simple Calabasas in-home care. However, more disturbing signs like poor personal hygiene, disheveled clothing, depression, skipped medical prescriptions as well as a severe decline in both their physical and mental health, make the matters more pressing to resolve. And then there are the risks of senior fraud or household injuries. Make sure you express to your aging parents how concerned you are and how some assistance will do them a world of good. If you notice any problems, it’s important to be persistent and strong but still empathetic to find the right solution.
Step 3: Take turns speaking and listening
The whole point of the conversation is to hear out both sides of the story. After expressing all your concerns, observations and feelings, it’s time to hear out your parents’ wishes and worries as well.
Address their apprehensions, concerns and fears
Make a detailed list of all their apprehensions so that you can validate their concerns and include them in the planning phase. If you can address all their wishes and concerns, then you are one step closer to finding the most appropriate solution. Maybe your parents wish to maintain a certain type of lifestyle. Whatever the case may be, you won’t get anywhere if you ignore their concerns – as small and as insignificant as they may be to you.
Step 4: Plan together, search together
It’s all about putting your aging parents first and respecting their wishes. By taking the time to plan things together and find the best in-home care or senior care facilities in Calabasas, you allow your parents to take part in every step of the decision-making. The more involved they are, the more satisfied they will be with their own choices. If your parents want their own patch for gardening or just need regular in-home care a couple times a week, try to indulge them as much as you can.
Final word
By this point, you’ve realized just how important it is to let your aging parents play a significant role in determining their future. It’s the only way to ensure that they are completely satisfied with their choice and still safe and well cared for when you are away.