Asking Your Loved One
Elderly Care in Arlington County VA
You’ve read at least 50 articles on what to do and what not to do in the realm of family caregiving. You know the importance of setting up a team and drafting a schedule. You’ve enlisted the aid of 
an elderly care provider to help with daily activities as well as transportation, shopping, and providing companionship. Still, your parent’s emotional well-being is concerning you. You notice their smile is less evident, their spending more time surfing the channels on the television, and sleeping. Meals appear half-eaten. What could be the culprit? While these signs, if persistent, may warrant a trip to their health care provider, many times the issue is easy to resolve. The parent feels overlooked in matters and decisions affecting their lives.
The Problem
It’s easy to forget that the person’s opinion that matters the most is your parent’s. With time constraints and massive demands, sometimes family caregivers just need to “get the job done.” Unfortunately, in their haste to prepare and plan for their loved one, they often forget to ask the main participant about their preferences. Slowly, the elder begins to feel ignored, undervalued, and dependent.
The Solution
Sit down with your loved one and have a heart-to-heart talk. Get out the schedule and go over it with them. What do they really enjoy? What do they think might be missing? The answers may very well surprise and inspire you. You’ve been thinking bingo night is the highlight of their week when, in actuality, they dread it. There may be someone providing care for them that they really don’t like and get agitated every time they enter their home. They may have developed a deep tie with their elderly care provider and would like to see her more than twice a week. Once problems are brought to light, they can be resolved. If they are never spoken, they tend to fester in dark places and dampen the sunniest of dispositions.
Why Didn’t They Just Tell You?
They see you giving your heart and soul in order to provide them with the means of aging gracefully in their own home. Complaining feels like ingratitude a thousand fold. Better to grin and bear it than to hurt your feelings.
Third Party Intervention
If you think your parent may have a difficult time being open and honest in fear of hurting your feelings, consider handing over the discussion to an elderly care provider. They can lend an impartial ear and update the schedule or menu to affect the changes your parent would like to see. Besides the services they provide helping with the activities of daily living, elderly care provider’s often greatest contribution, in the mind of your parent, is companionship.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring elderly care in Arlington County, VA, please contact the caring staff at LivinRite Home Care. Call Us Today at (703) 369-6677. Serving Northern Virginia, The Valley, and Surrounding Communities
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