For adult children with aging parents, the holidays are an excellent time to take a moment to think about your parents and their needs. As a recent Forbes article points out, some children come to realize that their parents have aged significantly in the past year and need more help in their day-to-day lives. There are several issues you may want to consider discussing with your parents if you believe this is the case.
Preparing for health and medical emergencies.
Elderly parents often have several medications and health issues of which their children may not be aware. While respecting a parent’s privacy is important, you should be ready to discuss what would happen if your parents needed someone else to make medical decisions for them. Drafting advance medical directives and preparing a list of medical conditions or contact information is essential in this situation.
Discussing transitioning out of the home.
Some parents may be reluctant to leave their homes even though transferring to a nursing home or extended care facility would be in their best interests. This is an incredibly difficult discussion to have sometimes, and you should be prepared to broach the issue without being confrontational or accusative. If nursing home care is out of the question, consider other options, such as hiring an assistant to help out with household duties, or visiting more often and developing an assistance schedule with other family members or friends who can visit the elderly parent at different times.
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