Taking control: How to support your aging parents!

Being psychologically prepared for aging is key to  maintain optimum relationship, health and wealth!

Aging is fearful because it reduces control on general ability to care for self and most importantly on accessing and managing hard earned wealth. Those who are not psychologically and socially prepared experience despair.  The spiritually matured aging people know otherwise; they become a resource of godly wisdom and embrace life with a deep appreciation for humanity. 

Getting ready to support your aging parents!

It seems that mankind is naturally comfortable with this life and it is rather abnormal to think about aging and dying. Most aging parents in their retirement years would prefer to be cared for by their children in the comforts of their homes. This is normal because it may not be ideal to be ushered into the strange world of other senior citizens and become a mere statistics!  While we all would like to stay alive longer, it is likely that beyond eighty years, health condition will compel your parents to be cared for and you need to be ready for this change. Getting ready therefore denotes coming to terms with imminent decline of your parents’ health and independence. It could be helpful to be supportive of their activities while they are still able to determine what they would like to do with their remaining years. For example, if possible, introduce them to computer and internet resources. Studies have affirmed that active mind helps to reduce mental health issues and the tendency for intellectual decline. Encourage your parents to be active and reach their identified goals. Meantime you need to make financial reservations so that you can find appropriate help when that time comes.  Researching on old age homes and finding ones that offer learning resources and wider range of recreational facilities will enable you to make informed decisions. For an example, if your mom plays piano, it would be ideal to continue this practice at will.

The onset of aging and lifestyle change!

According to Eric Erikson, a psychologist who studied aging, the onset of aging is around the 65^th birthday.  Most organizations retirement policy also observe this age as the limit beyond which the productivity of a person declines. At this stage some aging parents especially those who are not yet eligible for state pension, are living on their own insurance provisions. In most cases it is not enough to cover all their basic expenses.  This means aging parents do need some form of support from their children when they retire from their profession or jobs.

The ideal time to care for your aging parent in terms of food supplements and hormone replacement therapies should be earlier. This will enable you to monitor their health needs and consider suitable life cover insurance policies.  Talking to your parents about their old age plans would help you to plan and also be psychologically prepared to retire.  The prospects of retiring could be traumatic; so approach the subject lightly.  It is also advisable to learn about aging issues and how it may impact on your finances. You need to provide for food supplements and how to keep their hormones in check for optimum health, especially with regard to bones structure, collagen depletion and mental health.

Human hormones sites

You may start to learn about hormones and their roles in sustaining vital organs from various site including this one; http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15893/1/List-of-Human-Hormones-and-Their-Importance.html. Hormones play significant role in aging gracefully and it is prudent to take your parents for regular check-up; this way they will hear supportive treatments from the doctor and not you.

Taking control of your life is being vigilant about your relationships with your aging parents; it is your responsibility. The Creator gives us a counsel on how, in  Deuteronomy 5:16 “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you”.  Actually when you do this act of love, you will be teaching your own children how to care for you when your time comes!