A new friend of mine, Betty Benson Robertson, author of CHANGING PLACES: A Christian's Guide to Caring for Aging Parents, recently published a note to all the members of the Facebook group, "Adult Children of Aging Parents." She granted permission for me to share her note with you. If you are a caregiver in this capacity, may it be a blessing to you:
As persons begin to age and start to notice the effects the hand of time is having on their physical bodies, they fear losing their independence, becoming helpless, and the loss of control over their own lives that they face with each new disability. It's natural for them and for us to fight the aging process, but it's important for adult children to try to understand what their parents want. Quality of life means different things to the adult child than it does to the aging parent. The adult child worries about a parent's security, while the parent fights to maintain control of life and reduce impending losses.
As roles begin to change, adult children sometimes tend to disregard a parent's way of doing things, trying to impose their own agenda instead. Parents don't need a barrage of nonstop advice. Unless the counsel given is essential to their safety, offer it and leave it for them to decide.
Grasp the partnership concept by making decisions with your parents, not for them. the privilege of deciding for one's self is important, and it's still important to persons who are getting older. There's a fine line between strengthening their capabilities with our support and weakening their capabilities with our interference.
Blessings to you!
Betty Benson Robertson, author
CHANGING PLACES: A Christian's guide to Caring for Aging Parents
If you want to join the Facebook group, here's a link:
If you want to get Betty's book, here's a link:
CHANGING PLACES: A Christian's Guide to Caring for Aging Parents
If you are caring for an aging parent, understanding change is a large part of Serving Strong!
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