Admitting you need help is hard. Especially when you used to be the one people went to for help. Suddenly, people are telling you what you should do or what you can’t do. Most seniors, regardless of what the outside looks like, still feel like their old selves, so when their adult children start treating them like a frail person who needs assistance, they can resist. Caring for Someone Who Doesn’t Want Help
So how can you respectfully help your independent mother or father accept help, whether from you or a hired caregiver, so that they can continue their independent lifestyle while remaining safe?
Transportation
If your elderly parent is no longer safe on the road, you’ll need to address transportation before it is addressed for you. Has your parent already had a few fender benders? That could be a sign that they may need to cut back on driving. If you are considering taking away the keys, you never want to go into this discussion empty handed.
Providing solutions for transportation so that a senior can see clearly that while they may no longer be driving, they can still enjoy all of their activities is critical in making the transition easier. Make sure you cover everything from trips to the grocery store to the hairdresser and lunch with friends. You don’t need to use one service to cover all of their needs. I find that the most successful seniors have a network of services they used so that they were never left stranded.
If cost is a concern for your senior parent, figure out the cost of operating their vehicle. It is probably very close to what they will pay for services and they will be much safer. The cost of a car accident is far higher than what they will spend on transportation. I had a client who sold her car and kept the cash from the sale to use for transportation so that she wasn’t dipping into her other funds for transportation. I’m not totally on board with keeping a big sum of cash at home, but it was an interesting way of managing her transportation costs.
Get Help at Home
It is extremely difficult to convince someone to allow a stranger into their home to perform tasks that they still want to do. My suggestion is to start slow and small. Perhaps your parent doesn’t need a daily caregiver, or actual caregiving tasks performed.
Sit down together and think about the types of things that would be nice to get help with. Is vacuuming challenging? Perhaps cleaning the toilets or shower and tub are becoming more difficult or dangerous. Working with your parent will help them feel like you’re not making decisions for them.
Does your parent need help with cleaning and food prep? Maybe just bring in a caregiver 2-3 times a week for a few hours to do housekeeping and help your parent prep food so that they can cook it when they are ready. I’ve even know families who hired a caregiver to do light cleaning and go for a walk with their parent so that they can get exercise outdoors safely.
If you start slowly and involve your parent, they will get used to having a bit of help around the house and the more help they need, the more willing they will be to accept it. Now, of course, this doesn’t work for everyone. I knew a woman who was so sweet to me and my drivers and it was shocking to see her interaction with her caregivers. She really hated having someone in her space, but sadly, she needed it. The best thing you can do in this situation is try to find the best fit for them. Maybe the first or second caregiver won’t be the right person for them, but the third might be just what they needed.
Outside Activities
Quite frankly, so long as your parent is physically and emotionally able to get out and be social, you should encourage it. I have noticed that my senior friends who had activities to look forward to were in much better emotional and physical health than those who only went out for medical visits. Social activity combats loneliness, which has been linked to mental and health problems.
Even if they have physical or cognitive limitations, finding ways to maintain their social activities is important to their overall well-being. You may need to enlist a companion or caregiver to participate in an activity with them, but whenever possible, they should stay active. I had a client with dementia who went to the gym multiple times per week because he truly enjoyed it. I also knew of a woman with dementia who played mah jong with a group of friends every week, with the help of her caregiver. We even took a woman in a wheelchair to the beach a few times a week to ride along the bike path. Find ways to make participation enjoyable, even if it isn’t the same as it was in the past.
Accepting a change in lifestyle is hard for anyone. Work together with your parents to find the best fit for them and show them that their opinions and decisions are valuable.Caring for Someone Who Doesn’t Want Help