Caring for your loved ones with dementia or other memory-related diseases may be tiring and cause burnout for caregivers. If it’s affecting your overall health, it may be time to look into Memory Care. It might be hard to convince your loved ones into moving to a memory care community. Here are some tips to start the talk with them!
Get Support from Family Members
To start the topic, you should get your family members involved in the decision before you approach your loved ones regarding the relocation to a memory care center. This is important as you would want them to be supportive of your decisions. There are several tactics to make the process go smoothly.
- Practice active listening: This is a technique for communicating that is based on empathy. While it’s easy to construct your reaction to others, especially in emotionally driven situations, active listening counteracts this and encourages people in the conversation to stay listening to you.
- Seek credible, outside opinion: If your family disagrees with your decisions, it will help to get someone with a background in senior living or senior health to shed light on the topic. You can opt to seek expert advice from your loved one’s doctor or physician.
- Detail the caregiver’s experience: Tensions may frequently occur when it comes to who cares for the aging parent. To make things easier, you should keep a journal and send regular updates to your family members so that they can understand why memory care is required.
Tour Memory Care Centers
It’s good to tour a few memory care centers before you bring up the topic to your parent. By doing so, you can point to specific memory care amenities or activities that you believe your loved ones will enjoy. Another advantage of viewing the centers ahead of time is that if your loved one suffers a sudden fall or injury, you can immediately move them to a memory care center.
Consider Who to Include in the Conversation
While some individuals welcome the input of a large group, incorporating the entire family can make others defensive and overwhelmed. The best technique varies, as it does with many aspects of memory care.
For example, if your loved ones are sensitive to their dementia symptoms, a one-on-one conversation with their main caregiver may be preferable. This can reduce combativeness and resistance to the idea. Alternatively, if your loved ones are being hostile towards their dementia diagnosis, you can consider contacting their main care doctor or neurologist. This can help establish trustworthiness.
Choose the Right Setting
Once you’ve made up your mind, start the groundwork. This means having the talk over breakfast, talking in an area they feel secure and confident as well as using the appropriate body language. Your conversation should focus on the benefits of Memory Care and encourage them to choose it.
Enjoy Memory Care at Discovery Village At Deerwood
Finding a retirement community with Memory Care? We’ve got you! At Discovery Village At Deerwood, we provide a Memory Care program where you will be in good hands with our capable team. With our high-quality amenities, you can enjoy your life while we take care of the rest. To learn more, do contact us today!
