There might be times when you know your elderly family member needs some help, but she’s flat refusing any assistance. Is there anything that you can do about that? You can’t push her into accepting your help, but you can try to make it easier for her to accept help.

Is She Clear about Why She Doesn’t Want Help?

First, it’s good to try to understand why your elderly family member doesn’t want your help. It’s optimal, of course, if she’s clear with you about why she doesn’t want help. If she’s simply refusing without any additional information, you do need to keep trying to figure it out. When she does open up, stop and actively listen. What she’s sharing with you might have to do with her personal feelings around help, like denting her pride or reducing her independence levels. That’s information you can work with.

Keep Your Cool and Keep Offering to Help

One of the worst things that you can do is to allow your frustration to take over. If you do that, you’re likely to get snippy with your senior and that can bring bigger problems. Periodically continue to offer her help, especially with situations that you know are a little more difficult for her. If she’s still refusing, don’t get angry.

Maybe She Needs Other Sources

Your senior can refuse help for so many reasons. She might not want to burden you. She might feel as if you’ll use this as an excuse to limit her in some way. Or she might simply be stubborn and want to keep doing things on her own. If she won’t accept help from you, maybe she’ll accept it from home care providers. It’s worth a try.

Focus on What She Tells You and Just Keep Trying

In the end, you might have to take what she’s telling you at face value. Let her know that you’re concerned about her and that you want to be there for her. That might be the most that you can do for her right now unless you want to risk alienating her completely.

No matter why your elderly family member is turning down your help, there are still some things you can do for her. Keep an eye on what she needs and for little ways you can offer assistance, even if it’s informal and just a little bit at a time.

Excerpt: That moment when your senior refuses your help can be a watershed moment for you.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Home Care in Charleston, SC, contact Heart of the Carolinas Home Care at 864-991-3116. Providing Home Care Services in Greenville, Simpsonville, Greer, Anderson, Spartanburg, Mauldin, Seneca, Laurens,Charleston, Columbia and the surrounding areas.

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Edward Harrison

Founder at Heart of the Carolinas

Edward Harrison founded the Heart of the Carolinas Homecare in 2007 when he saw there was a need for caregivers that provide non-medical home care services, at a price that most people could afford. It was standard in the industry to require hourly minimums and it was common to be assigned a caregiver, not matched with one based on your individual personal needs. Edward understood that to make a successful relationship between caregiver and client, skills were not enough, personality and compatibility plays as much a role as do skills.

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