When you’re ready to talk to your elderly family member about hiring a caregiver, there are good approaches and there are tactics that are likely to cause you both to suffer. Finding the right way to talk to her means that she’ll be more open to your suggestions and you’ll be able to express what you’re seeing and feeling.
Avoid Making it Sound Like You’ve Already Decided
When you approach this conversation like you’ve already decided what’s going to happen, that can shut your senior down. You want to instead approach this as you and your senior making a decision together. That’s what will help you to have a better response.
Have the Conversation in Person with Your Senior
It’s not a great idea to have this conversation remotely with your senior if you can avoid it. Phone conversations and even video conferencing can make it feel disconnected and remote to your senior. Remember that you’re talking about a decision that affects her life in a big way. There needs to be warmth and a personal approach.
Let Your Senior Fully Finish Her Thoughts
If your senior is willing to talk to you about hiring a caregiver, let her fully finish her thoughts. If you interrupt her, she may shut down. That’s not going to get either of you the results or the help that you both need. Be fully attentive to what she’s saying and don’t dismiss her concerns out of hand.
Don’t Push Her to Do it Your Way
It’s crucial that you don’t push your elderly family member to just do what you are telling her to do. That’s not a very warm feeling for your senior, first of all, and second of all, you might be missing some information. When you and your elderly family member work together to find the right caregiving situation for her, that’s a much better solution.
Don’t Put Off the Conversation
These types of talks can be intimidating and upsetting. But if you put off the conversation, you risk letting it go for too long. If something were to happen, you might be forced into making a decision without knowing what your senior truly wants. That can breed resentment, and that’s not healthy for either of you.
Talking to your senior the right way about hiring a caregiver can ensure that all of her needs are truly met. Dodging the minefields is worth the extra effort it takes.