Someone putting their hand over the hands of an older person, signifying the importance of opening a conversation about long-term care

4 Tips For Opening a Conversation About Long-Term Care

The aging process can take a toll on the human body and mind. Watching your parents or a family member show signs of their age can be difficult. There may come a time when your elderly loved one needs some assistance to carry on with their daily life. At this point, you will have to navigate opening a conversation about long-term care.

Over 24% of the elderly population in the United States requires long-term care. At Reflections Management and Care, we work hard to provide our aging clients with the help they need to do things like manage their medications, overcome mental health challenges, and assess their cognitive abilities.

Below is information about long-term care and how to have a conversation about receiving this care with your aging loved one. 

Signs Your Elderly Loved One Needs Long-Term Care

Before we provide tips on opening a conversation about long-term care, you need to educate yourself about the warning signs that this care is needed. The more you know about the warning signs that long-term care is needed, the quicker you can react when these problems start to surface.

If your elderly loved one needs long-term care, you will probably start to notice things like:

  • Changes in their behavior/personality
  • Regular issues with medications
  • Routine slip and fall accidents
  • Drastic weight loss
  • Poor hygiene

As soon as you notice these problems, it’s time to take action. You can reach out to us for help with your elderly loved one’s long-term care needs. If you want to make opening up a conversation about long-term care easier, check out the tips covered below.

1. Safety Concerns Help You Open the Door to Long-Term Care

If your elderly loved one has had a string of falls or other accidents that caused them physical harm, it is undeniable that they need long-term care. 

As a person ages, their sense of balance will begin to wane. This means that slip and fall accidents will become a bigger concern. Bad falls can result in your aging loved one getting seriously injured.

These accidents typically occur when an elderly person is trying to handle housework like cleaning and cooking. If you are worried about your aging relative’s well-being, you need to open your conversation about long-term care by telling them this. Letting them know how dangerous these falls can be and how a long-term care provider can help mitigate these risks is crucial.

You also need to let your elderly relative know that long-term care professionals have a variety of tools they can use to check in on them. 

If your loved one is worried about new people being in their home constantly, you could tell them about Electronic Caregiver, offered by Reflections Management and Care. With the help of GPS, cellular-based location services, and sensitive microphones, we can locate and communicate with elderly clients without having to enter their homes.

2. Remind Your Loved One About the Importance of Being Proactive

Aging in place is something most senior citizens are adamant about. When faced with problems that indicate an elderly person needs long-term care, taking action quickly is the best way to avoid serious injury. Remind your aging loved one about the importance of being proactive about long-term care.

By making the decision to get this help, an elderly person can avoid being put in a compromised position later on when serious accidents occur. The last thing most senior citizens want is to be forced out of their homes because of their inability to live alone safely. With the help of long-term care professionals, your aging relative can get the assistance they need while living out their desire of aging in place.

3. Discuss The Financial Aspects of Long-Term Care

One of the main things your aging loved one will want to know about long-term care is what it will cost them. The sad reality is that over 21 million senior citizens in the United States are economically insecure. This insecurity can lead to seniors ignoring the need for long-term care, because they feel like they can’t afford it.

A comprehensive long-term care insurance policy will pay for this assistance. However, if your elderly loved one doesn’t have this insurance, they can still get the help they need without spending tons of money. 

With the help of our geriatric care manager, you can get assistance and find cost-effective services for your aging relative.

4. Keep Your Elderly Relative Involved

You will probably receive some pushback from an aging relative if they feel like they are being treated like a child. Instead of making this mistake and dealing with the negative reaction it can garner, you can work on making your elderly loved one feel involved.

Allowing them to ask questions to the long-term care provider and hearing them out on their concerns is crucial. By keeping them involved, you can reduce the hesitance they have about receiving long-term care.

It’s Time to Have A Conversation

If the writing is on the wall that your elderly relative needs long-term care, it is time to prepare for this conversation. While it can be difficult to talk to your aging relative about this topic, it is important if you want to keep them happy and healthy for years to come.

For more information and guidance on aging well, reach out to Reflections Management and Care today.

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