Learn how you can speak with your loved ones about home care in Hamilton, ON, and the surrounding area
Comfort Keepers Senior Care Hamilton offers advice for overcoming the barriers of aging that could lead to issues.
Moreover, understand their situation and try not to pick an argument with them. Most importantly, note down what you think to be discussed not to forget anything.
Also, do not approach this important opportunity as “The Conversation”, but as a series of different conversations. Meanwhile, mention one issue at a time. Don’t try to resolve everything together. It is less intimidating that way. For example, more likely to start fresh.
Additional tips for starting the discussions:
- Start early when your parent’s health has the ability to participate and share their wants, needs and preferences. Else, your decisions may not necessarily reflect your parent’s wishes.
- Pick a time and place that everyone can get involved. Most importantly, avoid any get-together, like a birthday or holiday celebration.
- You can involve family members. Involving a family member is a good approach. Meet and make sure everyone’s on the same page first. Subsequently, it will avoid an unproductive situation.
- Make the experience non-threatening. Let your parent know you’re concerned for his or her well-being and want to know how you can help them. And, you want to make their life much better and a positive way of lifestyle.
- Use proper communication skills. Maintaining proper eye contact when you speak to your parent, without invading personal space.
- Share an experience with them to relate. However, you can say your retirement plans and make them feel comfortable.
- Ask about records and documents. Ask your parent where they are keeping their important documents. For example, the insurance and retirement details and any important details. This could serve as a way of finding out what plans they have thought of executing and what needs to be done.
- Ask questions that will motivate your parent to share feelings. Above all, sit back and listen to your parents and make them feel important.
- Offer options, not your advice. Ask few questions and offer more than one possible solution to it. Make them choose what they feel more comfortable with. Therefore, it will make them understand that they have a word in the decision-making.
- Speak with respect. Approach the discussion at the same level. Never make them feel that you’re superior. In addition, value their opinion and show respect.
- Keep it simple. As stated before, don’t try to resolve all issues together. Look at one task at a time. Therefore, it will be the best approach for the problem.
- Involve an outsider as a third party. Involve an outsider as a third party, If your parent withstsand your efforts to begin the conversation.. It’s always better to have a third party’s opinion. Likewise, it can be a family doctor or a Comfort Keeper employee or trusted friends and neighbors. its good to choose a person who may have already helped a loved one in a similar situation.
Seniors Can Initiate the Conversation Too
A Senior who likes to plan the future can initiate a conversation themselves,
- Take the initiative. If you start facing difficulty with your day-to-day activities of daily living. Similarly, finding difficulty in bathing or anything. So, honestly speak with your physician or other healthcare professional.
- Share your preferences with your loved ones. If you want to feel at home and spend your days with your family. Or, if you need a caretaker to help you with your day-to-day activities.
- Learn about available services. There is help as you age. So, accept it and make sure you use those help to have a better life experience.