Every day, you may sit at work worrying about your loved one. Do they forget to take their medications? Did they eat breakfast or skip it because it’s too much of a hassle? Do they drive even though his eye doctor told him to stop? How do you stop your loved one from taking risks as they get older? You can’t force them to change their ways, but you and their senior care providers can learn ways to offer a helping hand without irritating them.
- Suggest Rather Than Push. When you need your loved one to do something, suggest that they do it. Never push them if you can avoid it. If you push them, they’re more likely to react negatively. For example, you need your loved one to eat breakfast. Suggest something you know they enjoy as the next activity after you’ve finished the breakfast dishes. It’s an incentive for them to focus on eating their meal.
- Explain the Importance. Go over the importance of them listening to their doctor, you, or someone else. If your loved one has high blood pressure and their doctor recommends they take a prescription medication, explain why it’s important for them to listen. Explain your concerns, how it makes you feel when they don’t prioritize their health and how you can help.
- Make It Their Idea. Try to twist things that need to be done so that they’re your loved ones’ idea. You need your loved one to get dressed and ready for an appointment, but they’re dragging their feet. Start talking about the things you need to get done after the appointment ends. The idea is to get your loved one to bring up something fun like stopping for lunch before running errands. Lunch out is their idea, so they’ll be more eager to get ready and leave.
- Arrange Senior Care to Help With Certain Daily Tasks. Make sure you have time to spend with your loved one doing things they enjoy. Take them out for a walk and let a senior care aide clean while you’re outside. Let a senior care aide cook their meals while you help them in the garden.
With the help of senior care services, your loved one has the support they need. It helps you as you don’t need to drop everything to get things done. And, that means you’ll all enjoy spending quality time together.
