Four Suggestions When Your Senior Doesn’t Want to Talk about Her Health

As a caregiver, your senior’s health is a big deal to you. But that doesn’t mean that she is going to share everything with you. In fact, she might get the most secretive about some of the details that make her nervous and it could become difficult to get her to open up.

 

Home Care Services in Wilmette IL: Talk about Her Health

Home Care Services in Wilmette IL: Talk about Her Health

 

Difficult Subjects Are Difficult

It’s really important to remember that sometimes certain topics are difficult for some people to talk about. Your senior might have always kept her health issues to herself. Or she might have a difficult time sharing new things with you because she worries about becoming a burden to you. Whatever her reasons are, if you push too hard for her to tell you what’s going on, you run the risk that she’ll shut down entirely.

 

Try Being Direct, Yet Kind

Are you beating around the bush at all? Often a caregiver will make that mistake, especially if you’re worried about pushing too hard. You might be talking around the issue instead of asking your senior outright what’s going on with her health. It’s important that you use tact, of course, but you can still be direct and kind in your questioning.

 

What Are You Seeing?

It’s also important that you pay attention to your own observations about what’s going on with your elderly family members. Very often caregivers don’t trust their own gut impressions about what’s going on. If you’re feeling as if something isn’t quite right with your senior, but she doesn’t want to talk about it, you might need to pay closer attention. You may be able to see some symptoms that help you to get a better answer.

 

Open a Dialogue with Her Doctor, if Possible

If you’ve got a relationship built with your senior’s doctor, you might want to talk about what you’re seeing. This isn’t about grilling her doctor for whatever her doctor may know. In fact, this may be a situation that your senior isn’t talking to anyone about, much less her doctor. She may be afraid of what she might hear in terms of diagnosis, so it’s easier to just pretend nothing is wrong.

Your senior might not be as forthcoming about all of her health issues as you hope and there are a ton of reasons that can happen. Talk to her openly and lovingly about your desire to help her and let her know you’re there for her.

 

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care Services in Wilmette, IL, call the caring staff at LifeCare Home Health & In-Home Services. Call (888) 606-4199 LifeCare serves all of the Chicago Metro Area.

LifeCare Home Health & In-Home Services