It can be hard to grasp that our parents or aging loved ones are not who they used to be. We are forced to change the way we interact with and acknowledge them. While assuming a caregiving role, we must learn to convey a message that allows them to keep their dignity while continuing to do as much for themselves as safely as possible.
Guest article by Consumers Advocate
Conserving your aging loved ones’ perspective is a critical component of becoming a better communicator. Their self-respect and feelings of independence are challenged each day that their capacity to perform daily activities diminishes. It is important to be a good listener; reminding them that you are there to support them.
One of the hardest things that an adult child will do is to determine if their parents can manage living alone safely. The best time to take precautions is when your loved one is at their best. They will feel good about themselves and continue trying to remain independent.
The following six tips will help you have a better relationship with your parents or aging loved ones:
- Listen carefully to what they are saying instead of thinking about what is going to be said next.
- Communicate with empathy. Try to understand and relate to their emotions.
- Try to see their point of view. Through understanding, you are able to gain trust, which can lead to a change in perspectives.
- Take a break. Take time to collect your thoughts.
- Put yourself in their shoes. Try to be more understanding of what they are going through.
- Give them space. Consider a medical alert system. Investing in a medical alert system provides a safety net if something were to occur.
Taking the time to listen, explore options and balance the needs of each person involved leads to outcomes that address everyone’s concerns and abilities.
As upsetting as it may be to watch a parent become unsteady, it is even more heartbreaking to receive a phone call from authorities or a local hospital that a loved one has been admitted to an emergency room for an injury.
Adult children of elders face tough choices. One of those is determining if their parent can remain independent. It is devastating to watch the people who raised and cared for us become unable to perform their day-to-day care alone. The once strong hands that held us steady while we learned to walk, ride a bike, or swing, now tremble. 
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