Getting The Whole Family On Board When Mom Or Dad Needs A Personal Care Assistant

Recently, you may have noticed Mom or Dad needs more help with daily activities. You have seen the warning signs and come to a conclusion that it is time to make arrangements with Visiting Angels in Newington, CT to find your loved one a devoted personal care assistant that can help them maintain their accustomed lifestyle. However, your brother, sister or other family members think Mom or Dad doesn’t need outside help or that it would be a waste of money.

Don’t be surprised by the situation. In many cases when there is a family crisis involving an aging parent, the adult children often tend to disagree on what would be best for their loved one. These methods can help the family reach a consensus on what is best for Mom or Dad:

1. Keep the Conversation about the Parent

When you start the conversation on whether or not Mom or Dad should have a personal care assistant, it is all too easy to get off topic and reminisce family anecdotes or argue who was the favorite child. Try to avoid these kinds of situations as they can only be counterproductive. Instead, start off by reminding everyone in the room that this isn’t about you or them – it is about agreeing on the solution that will help your loved one stay independent and maintain the quality of life they are used to.

2. Keep a Journal of Mom or Dad’s Condition

Physical distance is a common cause for disagreement among siblings. Those family members who live outside of the Newington, CT area will often have different ideas on what Mom or Dad needs in comparison to family members who live nearer and have a better insight.

To be able to bring everyone up to speed, you might want to consider keeping a journal on your loved one’s health, care needs, and routines. With everything well documented, it will be much easier to build a family consensus and get to an agreement.

3. Avoid One-On-Ones with the Parent

When it comes to important matters such as this, it’s vital that siblings find a common ground and approach the problem in a united front. Staying on the same page is much more difficult if you or your brother or sister are having one-on-one conversations with your parent about care options from Visiting Angels in Newington, CT. Separate conversations can create a hear-say atmosphere that will fuel feelings of distrust or skepticism. For this reason, it would be best only to discuss the personal care assistant topic with everyone present.

The truth of the matter is that families often disagree on what is best for their loved one. To reach a consensus, keep tabs on Mom or Dad to monitor their care needs, do some research on what would paying for home care be like, and try to keep the conversation as objective as possible.

Learn more about personal care assistant services from Visiting Angels in Newington, CT by clicking here.