How Can You Talk to Other Family Members about Helping More?
Other family members and caregivers often find themselves at odds over helping more or helping at all. If you’re finding yourself in this situation, these tips can make the conversations go much more smoothly.
Homecare Darby PA – How Can You Talk to Other Family Members about Helping More?
Let Them Know What You Need
It’s best to be as open and honest with your other family members about what’s going on as you can be. If you’re concerned about your senior’s privacy or maintaining her dignity, then you can hold back. But if you can be open, do so. Your other family members are going to be more open about what is happening on their end of this situation if they feel you’re being open, too.
Ask What They Can Do
You probably have a pretty long list of how people could be helping you, but leading with that is scary for some people. Instead, try a more open-ended approach. Ask them what they can do for you and for your aging adult. You might be surprised at what they offer that you hadn’t even considered. Some might offer to provide transportation for your senior or offer to do grocery shopping for her. Be open to the possibilities.
Give Them Some Choices
Just in case, though, have your long list ready. Some people find that open-ended questions make them draw a blank. If you’ve got your list handy, you can give other family members some choices about what they can do to help. They may be surprised at just what you need. You might need help picking up a prescription, for instance, when they thought you might need something much bigger.
Line up Backups
You don’t have to hang all your hopes on these interactions, though. Leave the situation open for family members to reach out to you when they can help, but have some backups. Homecare providers can take care of so much for you and fill in the gaps left by other family members. They know what it’s like to help caregivers and their aging adults and they can make so much of your caregiving journey easier for you.
Remember that other family members may want to help but can feel as if they’re not equipped to do what you’re doing. They may also have other obligations that make helping more difficult than you realize. Approach the conversation with as much gratitude and positivity as you can. If you let negativity take over, you run the risk of alienating people who also care about your senior.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Homecare Services in Darby PA, please contact the caring staff at True Direct Home Health Care today.
Doc, as he is called by everyone - staff, patients and clients - first experienced home health care and hospice care while as a colleg student at King's College as he cared for his mother every day while she first battled COPD and then lung cancer. It was during this time that he came to understand that caring for a patient was more than just clinical expertise.
"Admittedly, my strongest attribute is my communication skills and the simple fact that I love to help people. Even the smallest thing you can do for someone really can mean so much to them long term. In fact, it could change them forever. That's what providing quality personal home health care should be all about."
In his spare time, he cooks for homeless shelters and children's music and arts events. He also is highly involved in his local youth sports soccer academy as a coach and Board member.
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