Every senior’s situation is a bit different, but there are similarities in how they respond to certain facts. Your elderly family member may intellectually know that she needs some extra help, but that doesn’t make that help easy to receive.
Your Senior Is Just Used to Doing Things Herself
One of the most common reasons for seniors to argue against help from elder care providers is that they’re just used to handling everything on their own. This is especially true if your elderly family member has been doing well for a long time. It’s difficult to admit that some tasks are getting tougher and even that she’s getting older.
She’s Worried about Her Privacy
People who are private and who have lived alone for a long time might very easily balk at having someone else in their space, even to help them. This is especially true if your elderly family member now needs help with personal tasks, like bathing and getting dressed. There are a lot of feelings that this can dredge up for your senior, so it helps if you can listen to her and help her to work through them.
She’s Concerned She’ll Lose Her Independence
Many times, aging adults are concerned that having someone else helping them means that they will no longer be able to be independent. Your senior may worry that elder care providers will take over all of their decisions and choices, and that she will be stuck in a situation she doesn’t want to be in. This isn’t how it works, and you might have to give your senior time to see this happening for herself.
It’s Difficult to Accept Help, Even if She Needs It
The bottom line is that it can be awfully difficult to accept help at all for some people. Beyond just being used to doing things for herself, your senior may have never felt as if she had anyone she could trust who could help her. That might be something that she has to do some inner work on, either with a therapist or as part of the process of accepting help from elder care providers.
Growing older is not always an easy and flowing process. Sometimes it really is difficult, especially when your senior needs help, but doesn’t want it. Try to be understanding with your senior and avoid giving her ultimatums, because those may not have the results you expect.
