My Parents Won’t Accept Help!
Getting Your Parents to Accept Home Care Help
When it comes to accepting help, many seniors are resistant to change. There are strategies you can use!
For seniors, the thought of receiving some help at home represents a loss of independence. While it is important to respect your parents’ wishes and decisions, it is crucial for the proper level of care to be put in place when they require help. If you are faced with this dilemma, Nurse Anytime in Edmonton, Sherwood Park and St. Albert have developed a process that introduces the care gradually, in a way that eases them into accepting the help they need.
What to Do If Your Parents Are Resistings Help
Change can be difficult for many seniors, so if your parents are resisting any help, be patient and keep the following suggestions in mind:
- Introduce the idea slowly. Give them time to accept the idea.
- Offer a test run. They may be willing to try a caregiver for a short time, especially if they know they can change their mind later.
- Sometimes parents are more willing to accept a caregiver’s help if it is presented as being for the family caregiver’s benefit.
- Start the caregiver with household chores, NOT personal or “hands on” care.
- Slowly introduce these other tasks as familiarity grows.
- Help your parent visit a few nursing homes to review their options. Most seniors prefer to stay in their home and may be willing to accept the help required to stay there.
- Often people will listen to their doctor. Ask their doctor to suggest a plan that includes a caregiver.
- Often, your loved one may be concerned about the cost of services. Remember that most of today’s seniors grew up in the Depression and World War years. Money is always on their mind.
The Nurse Anytime Approach
At Nurse Anytime Edmonton, we’ve experienced our fair share of resistance from seniors. Our nurses are trained to handle these situations with tact and compassion. Our goal is to help clients feel as comfortable and as independent as possible, while still accepting care. In situations like these, we always suggest starting services slowly and gathering feedback from our clients, to ensure they feel part of the decision making process. That’s why Nurse Anytime Edmonton always starts with a free, no-obligation nurse consultation and assessment. During this consultation, the nurse will have a one-on-one conversation with your loved one in order to understand their anxieties, reservations, and even their resistance to the idea of a caregiver. We hope that, by acknowledging their resistance, and explaining that their independence will be maintained, we will get them to accept the help they need.