Senior Care in Palos Verdes CA: – Caring for a Senior Parent Helps Us To Be Better Listeners

One of the most important aspects of senior care is learning to listen to what your parent is saying.  Part of that is listening and to read between the lines to glean some information about something they don’t want to talk about directly.  Many times your senior parent may be having a new physical, or mental challenge that they don’t want to reveal to you.  When talking to your parent it is important to be a good listener, and learn to pick up subtle hints about things that they are uncomfortable with, or just don’t want to talk about directly.

Kids can be the same way in trying to avoid confronting a problem head on rather than trying to skirt around the problem.  They may feel uncomfortable talking about the problem if it involves something like difficulty in school, or difficulty making friends.  They may make allusions to these problems when they talk to you so it is important that you be able to read between the lines when talking with your kids.

When you are the primary caregiver for a senior parent you will learn that you are the person they are most likely to confide in.  They will more than likely talk to you first about what is happening with them both physically and mentally.  Because of this it is very important that you be a good listener, so that you not only hear what they are saying, but also be able to figure out what they are not saying.

Good listeners will tend to ask questions during a conversation, and will paraphrase what someone is saying to get clarification.  When you are caring for a senior parent it is important that you learn to make sure you understand exactly what they are saying.  As we age it is more likely that we will have aches, and pains that can’t be explained by an incident that has occurred. Many times this can be your body telling you that something is wrong, and primary caregivers learn to pick-up the message by active listening.

Sitting, and facing the speaker is a good listening position, as is standing and facing the speaker. It is important that you try, and maintain eye contact with the speaker, so that you can better read their emotions, and body language.  When you and your parent were younger it may not have seemed as important to be a good listener.  Now that you are both older, you realize that what people are telling you is important, especially when they are talking about themselves.

When your children are talking to you, you begin to realize that what they are saying is important to them.  Many times we may find our minds wandering when we speak to our children, and we become passive instead of active listeners.  What you have learned from actually listening to your parent is that what they are saying is important to them, and they deserve the courtesy of your attention.  You will find that the same is true for your children.  When they are speaking to you what they are saying is important to them.  They deserve your attention for a brief period so that you actually hear, and understand what they are saying.

There’s no one answer to the question of when the time is right for in-home care.

However, if you consider the points raised here today, you’ll have a better idea of when it’s time for in-home care.

And, if you have any follow-up questions, please contact us (310) 400-6869…we are always here to assist…You are Important to Us!

We pride ourselves in the Best In-Home Care!

Caregiving for You, Inc.