Talking to seniors

There is a concept in economics called the “dependency ratio” that is defined by the census bureau as “an indicator of the potential burden on those in the working-age population” by those not in the working population (i.e., the young and the old.) While certainly none of us want to think of our kids or elderly parents as a burden, the concept makes sense.

Many caregivers have both children and seniors parents as dependents. While it isn’t always fun or easy, communicating with children can be a breeze when compared to communicating with senior parents. For starters, children live in your house, need your money and at least on some level recognize that you are “in charge.” Often, none of these apply when dealing with senior parents.

At LifeStation, we have tips on persuading your loved one to get a medical alert device and we recommend using our medical alert assessment quiz to help them understand the need for a medical alert system.

Caring.com also has a good article on talking to elderly parents and a recent article on Slate.com discussed the difficulties of getting seniors to give up their car keys.

Share your stories on this blog or on the LifeStation page on Facebook.