As your little one and your parents start to age, those roles can seem eerily familiar. You expect to need to take care of your baby as they grow through childhood and through teenage years. But you might find that as your child starts to gain their independence little by little, your elderly parents begin to lose theirs. At this point, you do have to try and juggle both roles, and it can put a lot of pressure on your life. Here are the best ways to deal with that change.
Keep Them In Your Life
It’s important that your parents feel connected to you and your children. You should make time to socialise with them and let them spend time with your little ones. Being a grandparent is one of the most joyous experiences that life can bring so make sure that they don’t miss out on it. Obviously, you won’t be able to spend every day with them, and there might be weeks where you don’t see them at all. That’s why you also need to encourage them to build up their own social groups.
Encouraging Elderly Parents To Socialise
The twilight times are supposed to be the best years of your life so don’t let your parents live in isolation. You need to encourage them to make friends and interact with people on a regular basis. There are fantastic options for elderly to keep them sociable through the day from dance classes to exercise groups. You might need to nudge them in the right direction, but once you do, they’re sure to find these activities enjoyable.
Taking The Pressure Off
At a certain point, you might find that your elderly parents need more attention and more care. Usually, this is the case if they develop a mental condition like Alzheimer’s or experience an injury that impacts their mobility. You might consider taking on the role of the carer here. But you have to remember that you already have a role as a parent, looking after your little ones. You’ll struggle to do both, and that’s why you should use a home care provider instead. They’ll look after your parents so that you can focus on your children and this is how it should be. It will also stop the relationship with your parents changing from daughter to carer.
Help Them Live Their Life
The typical way that parents to lose their independence and need more support from their children is a physical injury. You can avoid this possibility if you help them in areas of their life where an injury could be a risk. If you live close by, you can go on a weekly shop together, allowing for you to help them with their shopping. Don’t forget, a lot of parents will fight to keep their independence so you’ll need so be subtle. Gardening is another example of a time when elderly parents can get injured. It’s good for them to stay active, but not if they are putting themselves in danger.
If you take this advice, you can make sure that your role as a daughter doesn’t take your attention away from being a mother and a parent to your own children.
