Accepting the Process of Aging

No one wants to age, but it’s inevitable. One of the main challenges with aging is that it creeps up slowly and by the time you start to accommodate your mindset and/or lifestyle to fit the change, the ball is rolling fast down the hill.

As you age, physical and mental well-being can shift in small increments and if the change is pronounced no one wants to admit that it’s a chronic change for the worse.

The hardest thing is when an individual denies the process.

If your loved one won’t admit they need help it can be very stressful to figure out how to approach it, particularly if the need becomes immediate with unexpected health changes.

Getting Help with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)

The following is a list of circumstances that indicate an individual might need extra help with the activities of daily living (also referred to as ADLs):

• House and yard need care / maintenance

• Changes in mood or extreme mood swings

• Cluttered, dirty and/or disorganized house

• Depressed or low energy temperament

• Unexplained bruising

• Trouble getting up from a seated position

• Missing important appointments

• Uncertainty and confusion when performing once-familiar tasks

• Forgetfulness

• Poor diet or weight loss

• Late payment notices, bounced checks and calls from collections

• Loss of interest in hobbies and activities

• Forgetting to take medications

A health crisis in the elderly can escalate quickly and unexpectedly. It’s important to not ignore signs that something may be wrong. Ideally, you may have had a conversation with your loved ones about getting their affairs in order in advance of having any issues. But just because the conversation happened at some point in the past, doesn’t mean that the loved one is ready to start accepting help or suggested changes to their lifestyle.

Aging People Often Resist Help

Experts recommend the following methods to approach the subject of a loved one who is resisting help or change:

• Trying to understand the reason why they won’t accept help or changes.

• Decide how important the matter is. Is it a safety issue or something less immediate?

• Think ahead.

• Strategize with a larger support network like a geriatric care manager, geriatrician, therapist, friend, sibling or online support group.

• Treat them like the adults they are. Change can be difficult for everyone.

• Accept the situation and the reluctance for help and get creative for how to approach the situation gently as an ongoing and evolving circumstance.

Aging and Communication

The process of aging can evoke fear and emotional uncertainty in everyone. Good communication is key to effective understanding. In the end you want to help the aging individual to begin to accept his or her position, without fear or negativity. You want to support the individual and make the process as easy as possible for all involved.

Broad Street can help

We provide nurse oversight for our Certified Nursing Assistants, which means everyone involved is assessing what works best for the client. In addition, through our Professional Network, we can provide other professional services to supplement any transition.

For more information, please call 847.728.0134.