Caring for an aging parent can be challenging, and it can be even harder if your parent wasn’t the most caring person toward you in the past. However, feelings of resentment or anger only make the situation more difficult. While you are doing the best you can to make things work, these strategies can help soothe negative feelings so you can continue to do the right thing.
Consider Counseling
Over the years, negativity can add up and continue to affect your relationship. Family counseling can help you and your parent finally settle issues that happened long ago. If you feel your parent wouldn’t benefit from counseling, consider visiting a therapist yourself. Sometimes, having a nonjudgmental person to share your emotions with is all it takes to look at the situation in a different light.
Focus on the Moment
As a caregiver to an aging parent, it can be easy to get caught up in memories from the past. For example, sharing a meal with your parent could remind you of a painful event from your childhood. To avoid dredging up past hurts, try to practice mindfulness. By focusing only on the moment before you, it may be easier to avoid reliving things your parent said or did when you were younger.
Accept Change
Providing Waterloo home care for your parent offers many opportunities to renew your relationship, and it is possible he or she has changed. It is also possible a health condition like dementia has further altered your parent’s ability to show he or she cares. Choosing to understand that people change throughout the course of their lives can help you take control over how you view your relationship.
Ask for Help
Addressing your parent’s daily care needs may become too overwhelming at times. Knowing when to ask for help is a sign of strength, and it can help you let go of guilt you feel regarding your relationship. By having an hourly or live-in caregiver in Waterloo take over your responsibilities, you will have time to take a deep breath, knowing your loved one has everything he or she needs to remain healthy and happy.
At Home Care Assistance, we understand how sensitive familial relationships can be. If you need help caring for an elderly parent, our part-time and 24-hour caregivers are trained to provide high-quality care for seniors. We offer comprehensive Parkinson’s, dementia, and Alzheimer’s care in Waterloo, all of our care services come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and there are no hidden fees in our contracts. For more information on our in-home care services, call (519) 954-2111 to request a no-obligation consultation.