Caring for Elder Parents: Even Superhero Parents Age And Face Decline

Caring for elder parents can bring so many challenges…

Let’s face it, at one time or another most kids consider their parents to be gods or, at the very least, superheroes.

Whether you came into a home with two parents or one, they were always there for you holding you, feeding you, bathing you. As you grew it seemed as if they knew everything.

Despite how your life with your parents may have evolved, you can be certain that your parents did their best to keep you safe. Every parent does as you will acknowledge if you are a parent now! Parents always do the best they can whether kids realize it or not.

But what if your parents really were super beings?

What if they started and grew a successful business or corporation? What if they provided a livelihood for multiple employees? And, what if suddenly they lost the ability to continue making important day-to-day decisions? What if you had to help them negotiate their way through mental and/or physical decline?

Hopefully, you and your parents will have a legal plan drawn up that will direct the most important aspects of their lives and business.

But what if they don’t and you have to step up and deal with overseeing the future of your parent’s elder care journey? What if you have to act as the CEO or COO of their already successfully functioning business?

If you were brought up in your parent’s business, you may not have any trouble stepping in to the role. What most adult children don’t necessarily have is the patience to deal with these once superheroes who can’t function as they once did. As they age and face greater decline, they may take longer to speak or move. Perhaps they are easily confused. You must remember they are not children. They are adults locked inside bodies that no longer function well and their minds don’t work the same way they once did. The tricky thing is they know they used to be able to do everything and can become frustrated and irritated.

In this scenario, patience, dignity and respect must be your mantra.

Your parents are not children. Unlike children, they know how to accomplish great things, even if they’ve forgotten, and you must give them the time they need to do things in their diminished state. It isn’t easy to watch your superheroes decline, but it is super heroic when you allow them to age with dignity and respect.

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