Something your senior might not realize is that having help from home care providers can allow her to be more independent, rather than more dependent. It’s difficult for her to see that at first because she’s accepting help from someone else. But once she sees how that one shift can make a difference, she may be on board.
She Only Has So Much Energy
Some of the activities that are part of your elderly family member’s normal task list might be ones that she used to be able to take care of with no problem. As she ages, though, she’s only got so much energy to devote to those tasks. She may also have other ways she wants to spend her energy, even if those draining tasks aren’t really negotiable. Having someone else to help with the more difficult tasks really helps.
Her Mobility May Change Quickly
Mobility issues may not have been a problem for your senior in the past but that can change a lot more quickly than either of you might realize. That can have a huge impact on her ability to continue to do certain things, like taking care of household tasks. Leaving those tasks to elderly care providers means that your senior doesn’t have to challenge her mobility as much as she has been trying to in the past.
She Really Doesn’t Want to Feel Like She’s a Burden
One big reason your senior might be striving to be as independent as possible, even when she’s struggling, is that she doesn’t want to feel like she’s a burden to you and to other family members. It’s really difficult to go from living an independent life to suddenly needing a lot more help. Your elderly family member may be still getting a handle on how she can accept more help gracefully at times.
Lots of Tasks Might not Be Worth it Anymore
Your senior might have been willing to do things like vacuum every day to keep up with pet hair, but maybe that task doesn’t feel worth the energy expenditure any longer. It’s not that the task doesn’t still need doing, especially if she has breathing issues, but it might mean that she needs some more help making sure that task is handled.
Talk to your elderly family member about what she needs help doing and what tasks she’s willing to hand over to elderly care providers. It might help to explain to her how having some extra assistance can ensure that she’s able to do more of what she truly wants to do on her own.
