| Would you ever feel aggravated after knowing | | | | like “uh huh” often. You have to do better |
| that the elder is trying to stop your progress | | | | than that to make them feel good. Your parent |
| when you go to visit them in their apartment? It | | | | will feel bad if she finds that you are trying to |
| feels miserable especially when you do it out of | | | | tolerate her talk and that you aren’t really |
| care and concern for them? The list you had | | | | interested. To capture their hearts and make |
| prepared earlier no doubt had all the ingredients of | | | | them feel on top of the world is to visit their |
| a perfect caretaker. It was prepared to help your | | | | apartment more often just to hear them share |
| parents live in a clean and healthier atmosphere. | | | | their stories. |
| Being a caregiver is no simple job and for the | | | | You should perhaps make it a routine to visit your |
| major part of it you do things that your aging | | | | parent’s apartment to sit down and have a |
| parent isn’t able to do any more. A few | | | | snack or some tea. You can spend a valuable half |
| elders don’t have the energy to do so fatigue | | | | hour with them. It will be nice on your part to |
| and other factors such as motivation prevent | | | | listen to them with lot of interest and thereby |
| them from doing anything. Oblige when your | | | | cheering them up. You can laugh at their jokes |
| parent wants to sit down and talk to you, for all | | | | and encourage them to speak more with you. |
| you know it might be very important. It could be | | | | Ask them questions and discuss things in depth to |
| aggravating to you, but the news you share with | | | | just spur them on to talk more. |
| her could be mighty important than the | | | | You choose an apt time to say things like, |
| apartment getting cleaned up. | | | | “Mom, I shall go tidy up the dishes. You can |
| It feels better to be called a caregiver or a care | | | | sit and continue to talk while I am doing it”. |
| taker than just a maid or a cook or even a | | | | This will be most encouraging to them. This is a |
| chauffeur. A caregiver’s job is not easy when | | | | nice way to do both your work as well as listen |
| compared to the latter as anybody could do such | | | | to your parent. You can let your mom or dad |
| things. Caregivers feel better because the parent | | | | walk around the place following you to tell their |
| you look after is more close to the heart than | | | | stories. Give reactions of you being engrossed in |
| just any elder. Anything she speaks can be | | | | their stories to keep them going. |
| understood better only when you can lend your | | | | Do not filter any topics to talk about. Talk in |
| ears and patiently listen. | | | | general and be frank to them and most |
| You as a companion to your parent will make | | | | importantly listen with ears wide open to react |
| them extremely proud and happy so do not | | | | well. You should be well prepared to even talk |
| downplay the role. You will provide a lot of | | | | trivial issues just like you do with kids. Elders are |
| support and emotions to your parent by doing | | | | like children after all. Improve your communication |
| this. This will boot their self esteem. It will | | | | skills with them as you go about talking to them |
| encourage them to share anecdotes and their | | | | and also make them feel important. They will |
| stories with you when you go there to visit them. | | | | start to open up when they figure out you are |
| A listener is not the one who keeps saying words | | | | listening to them well. |