Being there for your senior and helping her as much as you’re able is an admirable goal, but it might be too much. Your senior might need just a little bit less from you, in all honesty. Here’s what you can try.

 

Have a Conversation about What Your Senior Wants and Needs

Open up a dialogue with your senior about what she wants and needs from you as a caregiver. You might feel as if she needs specific types of help that she really doesn’t want. It’s important that you both get on the same page or you’re going to be working against each other more often than not. It’s possible that you’re giving her the types of help she wants, but in bigger quantities, than she wants. It’s all about balance.

 

Don’t Wait

If you’re still waiting to have this talk, don’t. You need to address this conversation openly now so that you can fix whatever isn’t working for both of you. Make sure that you mention to your elderly family member that you need to know that she’s safe and that she’ll ask for help if she does need it. That can go a long way toward helping you to feel more comfortable.

 

Your Family Member Is Still an Adult

Even if your senior does need some help, you need to remember that she is still an adult. She’s spent a good bit of time on the planet already and she’s likely done a lot during that time. Just because she’s at a stage now where she needs help, that doesn’t mean that she has no more autonomy or that you need to take over as if she’s a child. Keep that information front and center because you’ll need it.

 

Bring in Senior Care Services

Sometimes help from you just doesn’t fit what your senior truly needs. No matter how much you try, you may never be able to hit that sweet spot that she wants you to get to. That’s not a failing. What might help more is to bring in senior care providers to take over the helpful aspects and you step back into a more advisory role. That allows you to maintain your relationship with your senior without hovering over her too much.

You want to do the right thing by your senior, but sometimes that might mean doing a little bit less until she honestly needs more from you. Stepping back and honoring her boundaries can help to build trust between you.

 

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring  Homecare in Auburn, AL, please contact the caring staff at Prime Home Health today. Caring for Our Friends and Neighbors in Tallapoosa, Chambers, Lee, Macon and Russell Counties! Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! 334.745.7966