If you’re currently caring for a senior loved one, coming to the decision that they need long-term care can be difficult. What would make this situation harder is if your aging parent turns down several attempts to enroll them at a care facility.
Maybe you’ve used all the tricks to convince your loved one of long-term care, but they just won’t budge. However, just because your genuine concern for their welfare has been met with resistance doesn’t mean you should give up. With a little more empathy, you can quickly realize that your parent’s no isn’t definitive.
Validate their concerns
Perhaps your senior loved one’s resistance is rooted in their fear of losing independence in their golden years. You can agree that this is a genuine concern, and you should make your parent feel validated for fearing the worst. Demonstrating that you understand their perspective is the first step towards breaking down the roadblocks you might have faced during your previous attempts.
Once you highlight the concerns your senior loved one has, you can then schedule a calm conversation where you can ease their anxieties with practical and personalized solutions. If you can show your parents that a long-term care facility is a potential way to guarantee their freedom, you can get them to spend their golden years well taken care of.
Bringing up the conversation of senior care with your aging parents can be met with resistance during the initial attempts. However, you can make some progress when you approach the conversation with patience and empathy. Remember, as you find the middle ground with your senior loved one, it can help to consult with a legal representative to determine what qualifies your aging parent for Medicaid. This way, your family won’t get overwhelmed by the cost of long-term care.