Is it time to seek professional care for your aging mother? As an adult child to your aging mother, are you beginning to notice a decline in your mother’s ability for self-care?
Is she starting to exhibit poor memory skills and are you starting to have some concern about her capability to perform daily tasks? If so, it is common to ask yourself these questions, “When is it time to seek professional care for my mom and how should I begin this process?”.
Sometimes it can be difficult to broach the subject of hiring help or even pointing out concerns you might have to your mother. Yes, it is hard to see that a once independent, smart, cheerful parent has begun to pull away from social engagements, lose weight or not understand their notices from utility companies.
Often, when families make suggestions about elder care to their parent the answers are, “Not now, maybe in a few years.” Or, “I am doing just fine.” It’s common to be worried about serious accidents or the possibility of your mother being scammed because she might be lonely and too easily welcome strangers into her life.
Sometimes, concern number one is issues surrounding safety. That is when it becomes important to step in to reduce the possibility of abuse or neglect. Bringing in help and seeking professional care can be a challenge, but at a certain stage during the aging process, it can become a necessity for the parent’s well being. Accepting the help needed can also be a scary realization for an aging parent. Especially since they have been independent for most of their life. The process of providing a Professional Care Manager for your mother can be eased into, without causing too much stress or change in her routine.
When the type of support is identified, as something that has little to do with one’s capacity to self-care, it is more readily accepted. Such as hiring a “personal assistant” to help her with shopping, organizing or housekeeping. Another way to bring in help, while still maintaining her sense of independence is a “personal trainer” to help with balance or muscle building to prevent falls.
Professional Care Managers help families find the right language to use with their parent, so finding the right ‘helper’ does not become a negatively perceived notion. Sometimes the elder will take suggestions from a professional that they won’t accept from their adult child.
Give us a call at (866) 760-1808 if you are stuck in this dialogue with a parent – our client representatives will arrange for a no-fee home visit to assess the situation and help you set up a plan of care that works!