How To Communicate With Your Elderly Mom

Senior Home CareIt can be hard to talk to elderly adults for so many reasons. You may have found yourself taking care of your elderly mom or dad and it is almost like the roles for both of you have reversed even though you are still their child. This can be hard for you to understand but it can be harder to listen to a senior adult when you feel like you know best. When you take on this caregiver role it can become so much harder to communicate with your mom or dad and that’s normal. Here are some of the best tips to not only make caregiving easier but to make communication easier between you and your elderly mom.

Hire Senior Home Care

One of the best things you can do not only for yourself as an adult child but for your elderly mom, is to hire senior home care. These are professionals who can help take the stress off you and when that happens you may be able to spend more quality time with your elderly loved one. Instead of you taking care of them they will have someone who can help them stay independent, giving you both the chance to retain a good parent/child relationship that you see yourself having. When you are the sole provider who is taking care of a senior it can be hard to talk things through and spend time together. Your attention may be divided into multiple areas and you may not be able to give your best face forward when it comes to your elderly loved one. Senior home care can help you manage everything and give you the breaks you need to better communicate with your loved one. Senior home care allows you to take a step back but know that your loved one will be cared for.

Think Before You Speak

There is no doubt that you care for your elderly mother, and it may mean you get passionate about certain issues. When you speak it needs to be kind and tactful because this will help keep the communication open. You may have opinions and you may want things done a certain way, but the truth is you also need to listen to how your elderly mom is feeling. Listen to what she has to say and then think about it before you speak. Senior home care can allow you to take the space you need to digest the things your mom or dad may be saying to you.

Turn Off Distractions

One of the biggest mistakes when it comes to communication for seniors is not turning off background noises. Your mom may listen to the radio, online books, or watch TV. All of that is great entertainment but the truth is if you are trying to communicate important information to your senior loved one, those distractions need to be turned off during those times. Your loved one will pay more attention to you when it is one on one and they will retain more information when there are no distractions. This is something that senior home care can also help you with.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Home Care in Houston, TX, contact the caring staff at Personal Caregiving Services at 832-564-0338. Providing Care in Houston, Bellaire, West University Place, Katy, Sugar Land, and the surrounding areas.
Sid Gerber