There will come a time when you experience a role reversal in your family. This happens once your parents get to a certain age and are too elderly and frail to care for themselves. Even though they are your parents, and have traditionally cared and looked after you in the past, this role will be reversed, and you will now have to step in and look after them in their senior years. Some people find this very difficult to adapt to. However, if you follow all of these useful dos and don’ts, you will find that the whole situation is a lot easier on you, your parents, and your family.
Do Give Them As Much Independence As Possible
Your parents will be struggling to come to terms with their new frailty and old age. They will want to try and carry on doing the tasks and hobbies that they always have done! It’s important that you let them have this independence and carry on living as they were if they are able to. This will help them stay positive and in a good frame of mind. Of course, if they do struggle with certain jobs, such as grocery shopping, you should give them a helping hand whenever they need it.
Don’t Smother Them
Children naturally start to worry once their parents start aging, as they will be more at risk of certain illnesses and injuries. While it is perfectly fine to help them with their day to day jobs and tasks, you shouldn’t smother them and be overbearing. This could frustrate your parents. It is much better to only help them when they absolutely need it. If you do start to help out too much, over time they could become dependent on you.
Do Encourage Them To Get Professional Help When Needed
There will come a time when your parents need professional help. This could be in the form of nurses and care workers visiting them at home to offer them senior home care. Eventually, they might even need to move into an elderly care home. Your parents might try and resist all of this help, but you should gently encourage them to take it. After all, it is for their own good and will help them continue to lead comfortable lives for as long as possible.
Don’t Let Them Lose Touch With Friends
As people get older and frailer, they tend to stay home a lot more than what they once used to. As a result, they often lose touch with their friends and can start to feel very lonely. To make sure your parents stay happy, encourage them to keep in touch with their old friends. One nice way to do this is to offer to give them lifts to visit people or to get to hobby clubs and society meetings.
Getting old can be pretty tough. Help your parents by making it easier for them with these handy dos and don’ts! I’m sure that they’ll thank you for it!
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