18 General Tips for Dealing With Stubborn, Aging Parents

1. Be persistent.
2. Avoid power struggles — pick your battles.
3. Be sensitive.
4. Know that timing is everything.
5. Stay calm.
6. Seek outside help — for yourself.
7. Spend more time with them.
8. Ask questions.

What do you do if a sibling keeps you away from your elderly parent?

You can contact the adult protective services governmental agency in your area, explain the situation and inquire about an investigation. Usually, government agencies will send someone to a parent’s home to interview him or her. If possible, ask to go along with them.

What do you do with an elderly parent with no money?

6 Things to Do When Your Aging Parents Have No Savings

1. Get your siblings on board.
2. Invite your folks to an open conversation about finances.
3. Ask for the numbers.
4. Address debt and out-of-whack expenses first.
5. Consider downsizing on homes and cars.
6. Brainstorm new streams of income.
7. The joint effort pays off.

Why does caring for our elderly parents turn us back into?

He was struggling to understand why he and his brother kept falling out over how best to care for their mother, who is 87 and living in her own home. She is frail and is in what Brian describes as ‘early but undiagnosed dementia’. She is unable to manage her everyday life, so needs help with shopping, cleaning, cooking and managing her home.

How are my brothers taking care of my mother?

I also take care of my mother, I am the youngest of four. I have three older brothers and I don’t get any help from them. At one point I did ask the oldest brother to talk to the other two brothers to see if they could trade off weekends so I could have sometime for myself. He said he would take care of it, it never happened.

Why does caring for our elderly parents turn us back into squabbling children?

Without realising it, however, Brian hinted at the divisions that had been gnawing away at the brothers since childhood. These are the fault lines, as many siblings discover, that fracture under the pressure of caring for an elderly parent. ‘I’m the elder, did much better at school and went on to university,’ Brian said.

Do you feel so alone caring for your elderly mother?

We are alone in this together. They do call sometimes, and yes she is so happy when they do call, her face lights up as if they are the love of her life.