COPING WITH AGING PARENTS

Change is an inevitable fact of life. While most of us understand this fact intellectually, processing it emotionally as the things we know and love change is much more difficult. Growing up, your parents were almost like invincible superheroes who would be around forever, but you’re now beginning to experience a whirlwind of emotions as they begin to show signs of aging. Maybe they’re having difficulty remembering details of momentous life events, or perhaps they’re simply not able to get around like they once did. Coping with these changes is difficult, and in today’s post, we’ll provide you with some information that can make this transition just a bit easier.

Liberty Ridge Senior Living Community is proud to be a Top Rated Local® assisted living community in Lexington. We offer a number of independent, assisted, and memory care options for seniors in Kentucky. Please reach out to a member of our staff at (859) 543-9449 to learn more about our community.

HOW TO COPE WITH AN AGING PARENT

If one, or both, of your parents, is beginning to show signs of aging, then you’re almost certainly feeling like you’re on a roller coaster of emotions. While every person’s situation is different, some of the most common feelings include:

• Fear: Watching a loved one lose their independence or cognitive capacities can cause a great deal of fear. Your parents were strong, supportive, independent leaders throughout your entire childhood and the majority of your adult years, but you’re now in a position in which you need to play that role.
• Grief: There’s nothing easy about watching a loved one lose their physical or mental capacities. As with other significant changes, many people begin to experience feelings of profound sadness as they watch their parents age. While grief is often extraordinarily painful, viewing your emotions as a crucial aspect of healthy grieving can make it less painful to endure.
• Anger: Experiencing uncomfortable emotions such as fear and grief often cause us to become angry, even if our anger is not directed at a particular person. You may be feeling a sense of helplessness that is manifesting itself as anger.

If you’re experiencing these emotions, it is often helpful to seek professional counseling. Grief counseling can help you work your way through the grieving process and will provide you with a resource to turn to when things become difficult. However, a professional counselor cannot always be there for you, so try these tips to help you cope with difficult life changes:

• Accept that your reactions are normal. We all grieve in different ways, but it’s completely normal to experience a wide range of emotions you’re unfamiliar with.
• Control the things you can control. One of the easiest ways to add more stress to your life is to try to change something you have no power over.
• Don’t accept a greater burden than you can bear. Caring for an aging parent is one of the most difficult things you can do, and at Liberty Ridge, we have the utmost empathy for anyone in this situation.

We will revisit this topic in future posts, so be sure to keep an eye on our blog page to view our latest entries. If you would like to learn more about our assisted living community, then please reach out to us to request more information.