Answered a question 9/17/2010 at 2:50 pm
I saw some pretty harsh answers on here! To answer your question, advice is cheap. Sometimes you have to act. Many elderly are not capable of helping themselves. Asking for your advice is a way to
...Read MoreI saw some pretty harsh answers on here! To answer your question, advice is cheap. Sometimes you have to act. Many elderly are not capable of helping themselves. Asking for your advice is a way to get your attention. You are supposed to read through the lines. When my mom was still living alone, she fell. I talked to her every night and she told me she had fallen in the afternoon but she "was fine." I asked her if she wanted me to come over and she said, "no." When I got off the phone, I called the triage nurse at her clinic, got some advice from her and called my mom back to tell her I was coming over. She was so relieved! She thanked me profusely.
No one ever sees themselves as getting older or being needy! I am shocked at the number of elderly living alone who don't want a medical alert. I'm the caregiver and I should probably have a medical alert in the event *I* would fall!
Another suggestion is to have your mom make you a list of things they need help with. Sometimes writing things down makes it seem less important. Get them a notebook or binder where you have written on the front...."THINGS WE NEED DONE." Makes it more official. As you do the things they want, check them off with the dates so they have proof that you are helping them. Sometimes helping means you care and love them.
Lastly, it's scary to get old and not be able to do the things you did before. I would suspect that most elderly know they shouldn't be driving anymore but no one is available or willing to take them places so they keep on trucking!
Caregivers need to be part geriatric nurse, part therapist, and part mindreader!