Your elderly loved one may be having a tough time with the aging process, especially if she’s having to rely on you and other people more and more. This can result in some unexpected behavior or in her shutting you out. Understanding why aging can be difficult for her on an emotional level helps you to be a more supportive caregiver for her.
Aging Means Facing Changes
The big problem with aging is that your loved one is facing changes in her life. These could be changes in her abilities, her living situation, or other types of changes. To accept aging means that your loved one has to also accept that some things in her life are not going to be the same as they were. That can be difficult, especially if her life has been fairly consistent in most ways for a long time now.
People Approach Life Changes Very Differently
Everyone approaches life changes differently. Some people race toward them, excited about what each new stage of life has to offer. Other people are more reserved about those changes, especially if they’re not certain what that new stage holds for them. Your loved one may feel less optimistic about this stage of her life than she has about other life changes, so that factors into how she might be reacting.
Her Health Affects Her Acceptance
If your loved one’s health isn’t doing so well, that may be what is driving this life change for her. Until this point, it might have been easy to forget that she’s growing older every year. Significant health changes remove that mask and force her to see what’s really happening.
Accepting Help Can Make Aging Easier for Her
Your loved one may have always had a difficult time accepting help from others or this might be a new way for her to exert some sort of control over her changing life. If you can help her to learn to accept help from you, other family members, and even from elderly care providers, she can often find that although her situation has changed slightly, that doesn’t mean that she has to give up any independence.
Remember to be gentle with your loved one through this process. She’s not trying to make life difficult for you, even if it’s coming across that way.
If you or a family member are in need of elderly care in Aventura, FL, call the caring professionals at Star Multi Care today at (954) 870-4770. Providing service in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Weston, Southwest Ranches, Pembroke Pines, Cooper City, Lighthouse Point, and Wilton Manors.
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