How to Make Sure the Whole Family Agrees on Elderly Care
By getting your family members to understand that your senior loved one in Woodbridge, CT needs extra care and support, you can make it easier to make the right decisions on elderly care solutions
You may have noticed that your senior loved one in Woodbridge, CT is struggling more with their everyday routines. After some careful consideration, you have come to believe that opting for professional elderly care would be the best solution for Mom or Dad, but your siblings or other members of the family seem to disagree. In their opinion, it would be a waste of money as a family caregiver could provide equal or even better care for a loved one for free.
This is fairly common. A family crisis that revolves around an aging parent can often leave siblings on the opposite sides of an argument. Read the following advice on how to build a family consensus on a care plan for your aging parent.
Keep the Conversation about the Parent
Before you start the conversation about elderly care, it would be wise to establish some basic rules. Don’t let the conversation steer off from the topic and devolve into family anecdotes. Instead, focus on the problem ahead and remind everyone that this is about coming to a mutual agreement on what is best for your parent.
Keep a Journal of Mom or Dad’s Condition
Another common problem that can cause a schism between the siblings is physical distance. Siblings who live near Mom or Dad will have a better insight into their routines and needs while those who live far away might not be fully aware of the many problems their parent is facing on a daily basis. They may only come to visit during the holidays and come to think that their loved one is holding just fine.
The solution to this problem is to keep everything transparent. You can do this by keeping a journal on Mom or Dad’s activities, health condition, and more. This way, when the time comes to discuss elderly care options with the family, you will have everything on paper to support your position and reaching a family consensus will be much easier.
Avoid One-On-Ones with the Parent
To reach a unanimous decision about your loved one’s well-being, you and your siblings should take on a united approach when discussing the mater with your parent. Having one-on-one conversations with Mom or Dad will do you no good as they can only stir feelings of distrust, favoritism, or alienation. For this reason, it is best to speak about this matter only when everyone is at the table.
The reality of the situation is that families can disagree about the right course of action for their aging loved one - and that’s perfectly normal. It is certainly not an easy decision to make, but as long as everybody is willing to speak openly and stay objective, the family will certainly come to a consensus and do what’s best for Mom or Dad. To keep the conversation productive, do some research on elderly care options in Woodbridge by looking into what paying for home care services would be like.
Visiting Angels of Woodbridge, CT, is a leading provider of non-medical in-home elderly care services. Our office serves Milford, North Haven, Cheshire, Branford and surrounding communities throughout New Haven County, Fairfield County, Westchester County and all five boroughs of New York City, NY. To learn more about the in-home living assistance services provided by our staff of compassionate caregivers, please call our Newington office at (203) 397-6890 or contact us for more information.