Ways to Help an Older Parent Become Open to Accepting Assistance

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Tips to Help an Older Parent Become Open to Accepting Assistance in Winnipeg, MB

Motivating a senior loved one to accept assistance from others can be challenging, whether that help comes from you, other family members, or a professional caregiver. However, without aid from others, your loved one’s mental, physical, and emotional health could be at risk. To make the process less stressful, use the following tips to motivate your loved one to accept help.

Go Over Boundaries

Have a meeting with your siblings, other family members, and friends who will be caring for your parent and go over the rules of what your loved one will accept and what he or she considers out of bounds. Discussing and documenting your loved one’s concerns is a sign of good faith and could encourage him or her to accept help. Keep in mind that as your loved one ages, his or her health will continue to decrease, and your family will need to take on more duties. Some of those tasks could seem like overstepping, but they’re necessary to protect your loved one’s health and safety. Make exceptions when discussing boundaries with your loved one, and explain all options before deciding what’s acceptable. Aging adults who require assistance with the tasks of daily living can benefit from reliable senior home care. Winnipeg, MB, families trust Home Care Assistance to provide the high-quality care their elderly loved ones need and deserve. Our caregivers are trained to help seniors prevent and manage serious illnesses and encourage them to make healthier decisions as they age.

Get Assistance from Medical Providers

Your loved one may be more receptive to help if a doctor makes the suggestion. Hearing things from his or her medical provider could help your loved one understand the urgency and prevent resistance. Before you ask the doctor to assist with the conversation, make sure your loved one is aware of what’s going on. If you take your parent to the doctor’s office without warning, your loved one could feel helpless and bombarded.

Assess the Situation

Don’t get more help than necessary. For example, if your parent can cook and clean, you don’t need to help with meal prep and household chores. Assessing the situation allows your family to determine the type of care your loved one needs and who will help with each task. When choosing a professional caregiver, you could start with a few hours of assistance each week and increase or decrease the time as your loved one’s health changes. Receiving help should never make your loved one feel useless. It should increase his or her safety while enhancing his or her mood. Many older adults are choosing to age in place, and some need a helping hand to continue living at home safely and comfortably. Luckily, there is professional at-home care seniors can trust and rely on.

Make the Help More Appealing

When your loved one feels like others are offering pity, he or she may not want to accept help. Make assistance more appealing. For instance, instead of driving your loved one to run errands or to doctors’ appointments, suggest using senior-friendly transportation services. This strategy could make your loved one feel less reliant on others and more up to date with the current trends. Receiving help shouldn’t make your loved one feel useless or fully dependent. He or she should still have confidence and be encouraged to do as much as safely possible without the help of others.  Living independently is important for seniors who want to maintain a high quality of life. For some, this simply means receiving help with tasks that have become more challenging to manage over time. Even when families have the best intentions, they may not have the time to provide the care their elderly loved ones need and deserve. If your loved one needs help for a few hours a day or a few days a week, reach out to Home Care Assistance, a trusted provider of respite care Winnipeg seniors can depend on. To hire a dedicated caregiver, call Home Care Assistance at (204) 489-6000 today.

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