Decisions about the end of your aging adult’s life are not easy and they’re often difficult to talk about as well. You might have been hinting around a bit, but now it is time to try a little harder to have a conversation about what your elderly family member wants.

Share Your Personal Plans and Wishes

One thing about being a caregiver to an aging adult nearing the end of her life is that you start to think about what you would want in certain situations. This can really be helpful in talking with your senior about what she wants, too. Start a conversation about what you hope you can do when you start to near the end of your life. This can help to ease your elderly family member into the conversation further.

Approach the Topic with Curiosity Rather than Fear

You’re probably afraid of this topic and your elderly family member may be as well. That’s normal, but fear isn’t going to help you to get through this talk. Make sure that you’re approaching this with genuine curiosity about what your elderly family member needs and wants so that you can let fear take a back seat. Having a less fearful conversation overall is going to be more helpful.

Let Her Know You Know it’s Difficult

You both know this conversation is not an easy one to have, so it’s a good idea to go ahead and acknowledge that. Let your senior know that you feel the awkward and the uncomfortable about this topic, too. That can help her to let go a little bit and to just have the conversation without worrying about saying the wrong thing or upsetting anyone else.

Acknowledge that You Want to Adhere to her Wishes

You might feel that it goes without saying that you want very badly to stick to what your senior wants, but it might not be as obvious as you think. Point out to your elderly family member that the easiest and best way for you to make sure she’s got what she needs and wants is for her to spell it out for you. Sometimes you have to spell things out for her, too, just so there aren’t any misunderstandings.

It’s tough to do what your senior wants when you aren’t sure what that is. Enlisting the help of hospice care providers early on can give you and your elderly family member some guidance when you need it most with these difficult topics.

If you or an aging parent are considering hospice care in Philadelphia, PA, please contact the caring staff at Serenity Hospice today. Call (215) 867-5405.