assisted living for both parents

Posted on: 10 December 2015

When it comes to caring for seniors, all of the services and equipment a high quality nursing home can offer cannot replace the loving care of family members. The quality of life of a nursing home resident suffers enormously if he or she never has family members like children and grandchildren visiting. 

If you're caring for the elderly, you should do what you can to encourage family members to visit as much as possible. This will keep an elderly person involved and enthusiastic about everyday life.

The following are four helpful tips on getting reluctant family members to be encouraged to put some effort into making an elderly relative's life better:

Remind family members of all that elderly relatives did for them in the past.

Unfortunately, young family members tend to forget very quickly how much an elderly and needy relative did for them in the past.

When it comes to caring for an elderly family member, relatives need to keep in mind the debt of gratitude they owe to family members who raised them and helped them through difficult times in the past. 

Organize social events that bring everyone together.

You'll get the best response from family members if you make spending time with an elderly relative fun. 

Organize get-togethers with the entire family when possible. Family members might not want to spend time alone with an elderly and sickly family member, but bringing everyone together will make the occasion festive and lively. 

Draw on common interests.

Encourage family members to share their interests with an elderly individual. Drawing on family member interests will provide a bit more of an incentive for relatives to take some time out of their busy schedules to enjoy leisurely hours with a parent, grandparent, or great-aunt or great-uncle.

While it might not be possible for elderly individuals to participate in physical activities, they can easily get into sedentary hobbies like reading, watching films, and cooking. Find common interests like these to encourage some elderly care efforts on the part of reluctant family members. 

Create a schedule.

Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of structure. Try to set up a schedule to ensure that there's someone visiting an elderly relative every single weekend. This way, you can work elderly care in around the busy schedules of numerous and far-flung family members. 

Family members are likely to be encouraged and motivated by the effort you're putting in to keeping an elderly individual company. 

For help with geriatric care, contact a company such as Elderlife Experts.