6 Tricks for Helping Your Aging Parents

Helping your parents as they get older is both a privilege and a burden. This is especially true if you have small kids and you’re distracted as it is with all these duties. Whatever the case might be, there are ways to make the task much easier. Aside from having good communication with your parents, you should also implement a few changes that will safeguard their finances and help with mobility and health. In this article, we’ll share 6 tricks that will help you take care of your aging parents.

1.   Allow aging parents to lead

As our parents get sillier by the year, we often take the initiative to make decisions for them. And while this might be the rational thing to do, you should still allow your parents to take charge. Not only is this a sign of respect, but it also allows them to live the way they want.

The last thing you want to do is impose some new unnecessary measures that would interfere with the quality of their lives. Giving your aging parents a chance to make their own decisions can help stave off dementia, as they’ll be forced to think proactively. In fact, you should encourage them to try new stuff and go out of their comfort zone.

2.   Improve your communication

You’ll need to improve communication with your aging parents for the previous tip to have an effect. Kids often make the mistake of imposing their will during discourses. Parents, always feeling the need to protect them regardless of their age, will go out of their way to oblige.

In this particular case, you should take the role of an outside observer. Don’t impose your will in any way during conversations. If a parent needs or wants something, try to probe it out of them. Keep in mind they might be ashamed to ask for assistance, so it’s your duty to find it out.

3.   Get your aging parents the medical equipment they need

If you really wish to improve your aging parents’ quality of life, you should consider getting proper home medical equipment. Things such as crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, special medical mattresses and beds, stockings, and braces, become a necessity at a certain age.

Keep in mind that buying medical equipment isn’t a condemnation of any sort. The reality is that your parents will become less mobile as the years go by, and you should do your best to make things easier. Aside from medical equipment, you should also add ramps to your house and everything else that’s necessary.

4. Think about the retirement home

Unfortunately, there are some situations where you can’t avoid a retirement home. This is especially true if your parent has serious medical issues and you’re not well equipped to take care of them. However, this is a decision you should never make without them.

Always consult your parents before putting them in one of these facilities. You should do your due diligence and find the best senior living available. If they don’t want to go there, you should consider hiring a nurse instead. Whatever the case might be, it’s much better for both sides to stick together for as long as you can. During these last few years, you can strengthen your bond and create new beautiful memories.

5.   Show respect for your aging parents

Although kids eventually eclipse their parents in terms of cognitive capabilities and decision-making, you still need to show them respect. The same goes for the way you behave in public and how you treat them at home.

There’s nothing sweeter than a child holding their parent by the hand and walking them down the street. Not only does this help with their mobility, but it is also something they’ll remember for as long as they live.

Similarly, you should never interrupt your parents when they speak with others, even if they have trouble remembering something. You don’t have to do everything for them, as it might ruin their confidence.

6. Help with the finances and legal

As our parents get older, they start making worse and worse financial decisions. They might start buying stuff in droves or gifting money to unknown people. And while you shouldn’t necessarily prevent them from spending their money the way they want, you should still talk about these things.

You should especially be weary of different schemes. There are so many scammers online, and it’s easy for the elderly to step into their webs. Similar goes for legal things. Make sure your aging parents have written their will and have thought over beneficiaries.

Lastly, when possible, you should take over most of the daily administrative work.