Have you ever seen the Pixar movie, Up? The beginning of the movie is absolutely brilliant, running through a huge number of emotions in only a few minutes. But once you get through the beginning and you’ve wiped the tears away, another dilemma occurs. There’s an elderly man that is being pushed toward moving into a nursing home against his will. He doesn’t want to, and as the movie progresses, it becomes pretty clear that this gentleman doesn’t need that kind of help. I won’t ruin the movie for you, but if you’ve never seen it, you really owe it to yourself to do so. It’s a masterpiece!
In reality, things aren’t always this cut and dried. Someone might need help, but the degree of help needed will vary from person to person.
This is why it’s important that you don’t make the mistake shown in Up. Rather than feeling attacked by care, seniors should be a part of the conversation. They should have input and an ability to voice their goals and how they want to achieve them. Care might seem like a hindrance, but in reality, it can help someone to live a better life as they age.
It’s a stressful time when a loved one needs care. When your family member is resistant to that help, the stress only gets ratcheted up. Some families are able to navigate this well with some patience and time, but some situations aren’t as easy to resolve. This isn’t bad–all families and situations are a little different. It’s certainly not easy, though.
Having a professional on your side can make this conversation a bit easier. Not because the professional understands your family or your needs better; you’re the expert on your family. A professional caregiver can help by shedding some light on what senior care actually looks like in practice in a way that you might not be able to. For many, the impression that they have of senior care is what they’ve seen on television or have heard about through second hand stories. Having someone working with you that knows the business and can put these worries to rest can be a huge help when it comes to connecting those that you love to the care that they need to thrive as they age.
We’re happy to join in on the conversation with your family. In a perfect world, your family would have been talking about senior care plans all along. But like the old proverb states, while the best time to plant a tree would have been 20 years ago, the next best time to plant the tree is right now. Beginning to talk about these tough subjects, normalizing it and getting a feel for what is best for the people that you care about can make these life transitions a little bit easier.
Care is a tough thing to talk about in general. But having the right team on your side can make the entire process a lot easier. If you would like to learn more about how we can help, please get in touch with us today.
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