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CREATE A NEED
Once you have picked out the right place, ask the administrators for their help in convincing your loved
ones to move. The staff members are very familiar with this problem and deal with it daily. Ask a social
worker to call your parents and develop a relationship over the phone. He or she may be able to drop
by while you are there to talk to your parents and invite them over for a get-together. Later, take your
parents out to lunch, then casually drive by the facility to say hello to that social worker who was so
kind to drop by to visit them. Seeing a familiar face is usually very helpful. Remember, any kind of
change can be very scary for an elder. Take things slow, calm and steady, making their safety your
goal.
Another idea is to have the social worker ask for your parents' "help" with the other seniors or that they
need some help "fixing" something at the center. Could they, for example, go over to help out with the
Bingo or singing classes? Perhaps they can help with lunch for the elders there. Tell your loved ones
that they are "needed" there to help and entertain others. Giving them a "job" to do there will help them
become comfortable with being there, which can then ease the transition to moving.
REACH FOR SUPPORT
Realize that everyone since the beginning of time who has ever been lucky enough to have their
parents reach old age has experienced the pain of watching their once-competent parents decline. We
all know it is a part of life, but even with all that has been written, there are no words that can prepare
us for the sorrow. Reach out for help from family and friends and look into a support group. Don't even
think you can do it alone!
Jacqueline Marcell is a former television executive who after the experience of caring for her aging
parents became an author, publisher, radio host, national speaker and advocate for eldercare
awareness and reform. She is the devoted daughter in her riveting bestseller,
Elder Rage, or Take My Father ... Please! How to Survive Caring For Aging Parents
(Impressive Press), a
Book-of-the-Month Club selection, being considered for a feature film. Jacqueline also hosts an
Internet radio program "Coping With Caregiving," heard worldwide on
www.wsradio.com/copingwithcaregiving.
For more information see: www.ElderRage.com
Jacqueline Marcell
Author / Publisher / Radio Host / Speaker / Eldercare Advocate
Elder Rage, or Take My Father… Please! How to Survive Caring for Aging Parents
A Book-of-the-Month Club Selection
http://www.ElderRage.com
MOVE TO ASSISTED LIVING
