How to Negotiate with Your Aging Parents?

From the moment we learn how to walk, we start pursuing new challenges to overcome, the more demanding the better. It’s the natural way of things. As a result, we become reluctant to accept support and assistance from others because we want to be independent. 

Fast forward to old age and things aren’t too different: the elderly need help and support on a daily basis, but by that point they become so used to doing things their way that they are unwilling to compromise on even the most trivial matters. As we get older, we become more and more set in our ways, to the point where even the slightest change of routine becomes a problem. This is especially true of dementia patients.

You may be acting with their best interest at heart but you will need to develop superior negotiation skills if you want to get your aging parents to listen. Even perfectly functional families can encounter difficulty when elderly care is concerned. You may find it extremely challenging to get your elderly loved one to accept your own help, let alone the day-to-day presence of a specialist in in home care in Pacific Palisades, CA in their home. But it is not unattainable.

How to convince parents to accept home care assistance?

A family caregiver role can easily turn into a full time job. Try explaining to your parents that you want them to get the best care but cannot manage to provide a consistent standard of care to them yourself. When it comes to radical changes such as introducing an in home care expert to your elderly loved one, don’t be surprised if you meet heavy resistance, even anger or abuse. 

To prevent that from happening, it is of utmost importance that you are patient and take things slow. The elderly need time to adapt to changes, so give them the time to get to know their in home caregiver. Present your elderly loved one with evidence and arguments to that effect by listing the financial risks and other dangers of living alone as a senior:

• Risks of falling and other physical injuries: a caregiver will improve the home safety of your elderly loved one.
• Risks of social isolation and its effect on physical and mental health.
• Higher risk of depression.
• Higher risk of anxiety.
• No help in case of emergency.
• Greater risk of accidental overdose.
• Greater risk of malnutrition.
• Inability to notice new symptoms of illnesses or diseases.

How do you deal with stubborn dementia patients?

Dementia may cause your elderly loved one’s behavior and personality to start changing drastically on account of changes in the brain. The sooner you make peace with the fact that dementia is followed by bothersome behaviors, the sooner you’ll learn to deal with them successfully. 

Here’s what you can expect your elderly loved one to be going through as a result of dementia or Alzheimer’s:

• Fear
• Worry
• Anger
• Irritability
• Depression
• Low self-esteem
• Loss of interest
• Confusion and misunderstanding
• Rummaging and hiding things
• Imagining things
• Nervous pacing and restlessness
• Feeling disoriented and wandering away from home
• Aggressive behavior
• Changes in intimacy

Various health-related issues caused by dementia or Alzheimer’s may also have an effect on your elderly loved one and their behavior. Below are some strategies that a professional caregiver is likely to employ when dealing with the elderly in their care and that you too can use to make your elderly loved one will more comfortable:

• Go easy on them and do not try to reason with them.
• Be flexible, patient and willing to compromise to gain agreement and cooperation.
• Provide constant reassurance to keep them calm and make them feel safe.
• Avoid arguments and do not show your own anger and frustration.
• Keep things simple: request or say one thing at a time, avoid lengthy explanations and complicated questions.
• Listen more than you talk.
• Focus on how they feel instead of on what they say.
• Use visual clues instead of words.
• Create a calm and quiet living environment.
• Implement a steady daily routine.
• Keep noise levels down.
• Make simple changes in their living space to give them more room and reduce the number of distractions and details.
• Try using music, singing and dancing to help them relax.
• Get creative and use humor to ease tension.
• Give them autonomy with daily tasks whenever possible.
• Ask for their help with simple tasks as a healthy distraction.

Experience the finest in home care in Pacific Palisades, CA

We are here to present the elderly with the opportunity to lead a healthy lifestyle and feel content and fulfilled whenever you are not around. If your aging mother feels like visiting the Getty Villa, she’ll have a compassionate caregiver by her side to take her there and keep her company. If your elderly father wants to do some light gardening, he’ll have a trusted caregiver by his side, ready to lend him a helping hand and keep him safe. 

Allow us to introduce you to the leading professional caregivers in the area and and let us make things smooth, simple and convenient for you and your elderly loved one. We are at your service for consultation and more information so you can make a decision in the best interest of your elderly loved one and their general health and wellbeing. Call now!