How do you cope with aging parents? Get counseling.
Sometimes, regardless of your best efforts and intentions, your parents don’t see things as you do in regard to their changing needs as they age. Maybe you are the one who isn’t seeing things clearly, we’ve all had moments like that. If you and your parents can’t find any common ground it may be a good idea to get some counselling.
Now I’m not talking about visiting the doctor with the funny couch in their office although in some cases that may be a good idea. I’m referring to getting an opinion from an impartial third party. Who this is, depends on you and your parents. Ideally it should be someone whom you both trust, so you’ll actually listen and take their advice. It could be a family lawyer who has a history with the family, it could be a financial advisor or the family physician. There are organizations that can help too, such as the Community Care Access Centre, they can conduct an assessment of your loved one to determine if they qualify for government subsidized homecare or Long Term Care. They can also recommend service providers in the area. There are also social workers in hospitals, and at other organizations who can assist in this.
A third party opinion can validate the concerns you have for your parent or perhaps they can reassure you that things aren’t as bad as you may believe. There is a good chance that their intervention can help either you or your parents maybe see things that you weren’t willing to see before.
Christian Bullas
Owner, Senior Homecare by Angels
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