Elderly Care Massapequa NY
When an elderly loved one first starts to deal with an illness or health condition that can deteriorate quickly, many of your family members might develop some denial about the situation. This is normal, but it can be difficult to overcome on your own.
Share What You're Seeing
As your loved one's primary family caregiver, you're in a special position. You're far more likely to see behavior that puts up a red flag or to hear from your loved one's doctor that a diagnosis is troubling. That often means that you're not in denial, but other family members who do not have as much contact with your elderly loved one might be. They may only see your loved one on good days or when the behaviors aren't as prevalent.
Encourage Your Family Members to Spend Time with Your Loved One
For some family members, simply being around your elderly loved one more often can help to open their eyes to what is actually going on. Encourage your other family members to spend some more time with your elderly loved one. Once they're more in tune with what is actually going on, these family members may be able to add some weight to your own observations.
Share Information as You Learn It
As you learn more about your elderly loved one's health conditions, share what you're learning. Your other family members may not understand much about some health problems, such as heart disease, and how it can affect your elderly loved one. The more that you can share, the less likely your other family members are going to be able to continue living in denial.
Suggest Joining a Support Group or Getting Other Help
Sometimes other family members need to hear information from a variety of sources before they can start to accept it. Suggest to them that they join a support group that can help them to learn about your loved one's health conditions. Support groups meet both in person and online, so that can help them to fit meetings into their busy schedules.
Work with your loved one's doctors and elderly care providers to determine the best ways to battle denial for your elderly loved one.