It’s not very uncommon to find a defiant senior giving a harassed caregiver a hard time convincing them to do what’s right for them. In fact, as frustrating as it may sound, it is a barrier that only few caregiver-senior relationships were able to break and often times, poor communication is the problem. What’s more, it’ll just keep on getting worse every single day if you don’t act on it now.
As the caregiver, don’t expect your senior to do the adjustments for you. I tell you now, only few seniors accept changes wholeheartedly, and only half of that will submit themselves to you without question. Just try to remember that they have their own issues to sort so don’t expect them to at least make it work for you. You, on the other hand, don’t have to put up with it and lose your patience with your senior as there are ways to make your relationship more harmonious and easier to live with.
Good communication lines are important as there will be hundreds of issues you and your senior should decide on along the way. Most of all, it should be built with trust, lots of it, however, trust is not an easy thing to give if you are old and gray. The caregiver must prove that he or she is trustworthy or else, you are not suitable for the job. Below is a guide on how to be effective when communicating with your senior:
• Take into consideration your senior’s state of mind. This should be noted especially in cases of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Try to remember that these cases often leave seniors confused and frustrated so you really have to be patient with them.
• Choose your time. Not everytime is a good time to talk. Again, your senior has their own issues to sort so you should pick a time when there are no distractions and your senior is open to ideas.
• Express your thoughts from your side. Don’t even try to assume you know what your senior is thinking. If you need an issue to be settled, then by all means, have a talk with your senior but make sure it is coming from your side of things, not an attack on what he is thinking or doing, no matter how annoying those things may be.
• Respect them as you would if you are not caring for them. As the caregiver, it’s easy to overstep your limits thinking that since you are the one taking care of your senior, it is your right to decide on things and do them your way. Of course, this won’t be right since your senior is an aging person, not a baby. They need assistance, not guidance.
• Involve your senior. Ask for their opinion even if they don’t sound right anymore.
