What to do if Your Senior Won’t Let You Help Them

​Senior Care Skokie IL - What to do if Your Senior Won’t Let You Help Them

It’s not uncommon for family caregivers to have struggles with their senior parents who require daily care with things such as their medication, medical procedures, grooming and personal hygiene, and help with house work.  

Seniors who live in their homes and wish to remain there can have difficulties with role reversal and accepting help for things that they once could do completely unassisted such as showering, getting dressed, preparing meals and feeding themselves, or even driving.  

Some seniors may be in denial about the level of care that they need, may be embarrassed or have feelings of shame, or may have or be developing cognitive impairments such as dementia which keeps them from fully understanding the severity of the situation at hand.  

No matter the reason, it can be extremely frustrating for family caregivers when they feel like they have to fight with their senior parent on a daily basis to get them to accept help or to do the simple things that they need to be doing to keep up with their health and hygiene.  

If you have been considering hiring the help of senior care to provide the assistance of professional caregivers who can care for your senior parent, it’s a fantastic option for many families and may help alleviate some of the feelings of hostility that you may be experiencing.  

Sometimes, you may find that your senior parent needed someone that is not related to help them with the more personal aspects of their care. And sometimes, the advice and opinion of trained caregivers that can act as a third party is enough to convince your senior that they need to give up a little control and that accepting help is in everyone’s best interest.  

While senior care can be a huge relief for families struggling to keep up with the daily demands of their senior parent, in the meantime there are 2 things that you can try at home to see if you can make the family caregiver role a little easier on you both, such as: 

Giving them a choice. If your stubborn senior parent is having trouble accepting help, it may be due to a feeling of having no control over their life, or certain important aspects of it. Try allowing them a few choices in their daily routine, such as asking them what they want to eat, or what time they want to shower and change, giving them 2 or 3 options so that they feel like they are more in control.  

Compromise. It might sound hard, but trying to think of a mutually beneficial compromise for certain situations you and your senior struggle with might help accomplish your goals. If showering is a huge task and something you regularly fight about, come up with a schedule that might not be exactly what you want, but is more than what your senior is currently content with.  

With a little forethought, along with the consideration of hiring senior care providers to come in and help, you and your senior can improve your routine and be on your way to spending your time with them in a more productive and less frustrating atmosphere.  

 If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Care Services in Skokie IL, contact the caring staff at Gentle Home Services. Call today (800) 860-9823.

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