Senior Care in West Seattle, WA

Whether it's a beloved pet, personal freedom, or a spouse that your elderly loved one has lost, grief and pain accompany that loss. Everyone handles loss differently, and your elderly relative may respond in a manner that you're not accustomed to when she experiences too much loss in too short a time. With the help of elder care options, there are things you can do to ease the pain.

Acknowledge the Feelings

Grief can seem larger when you feel as though your feelings are being ignored. The same is true for your elderly loved one. If she feels as though no one understands that losing her independence is something that she needs to mourn, then she may have a harder time working through the grief. Acknowledge her feelings about becoming more dependent, and her right to have them. As her experience with senior care grows, she may even find that she's gained more than she's lost.

Journal About the Feelings

Journaling about feelings is an incredibly effective way to deal with them. While your elderly loved one may have lost some of his ability to express himself verbally, he may still be able to write about his feelings. Even if that isn't an option, other methods of keeping a journal can be just as effective. Consider using drawings or even journals made up of collages to help elderly relatives express their feelings.

Talk to Someone Else

When elderly loved ones are going through the stages of grief, it can help to talk to someone else who has been there, too. This can be in the form of a trusted friend or even a group that specializes in dealing with grief and bereavement. The only requirement is that the situation is a safe one in which he can express his feelings about the losses he's encountered.

Give the Feelings Space

Sometimes your elderly loved one just needs a bit of space in order to sift through the feelings and to get tot he other side. It's nice to know that loved ones care, but that can get overwhelming, particularly if your elderly loved one is already dealing with a host of physical difficulties. Give the situation some space without completely abandoning the issue. In-home care offers family caregivers an excellent opportunity to give both sides the space they need.

Give the Feelings Time

As much as space helps, so too does time. No one can work through feelings of loss in hours or days, so it's important to remember to give your loved one time to come to grips with her loss in her own time. You can still be there for her, but she'll let you know when she's had the time she needs. Home care providers have experience with these sorts of reactions, and they can help you to understand when it may be okay to try talking about the feelings of loss again.

Dealing with loss and grief is hard for all of us, but especially our elderly loved ones. Use the tools offered by elder care to help your entire family work through the feelings and get to the other side.

Source

http://www.arttherapyblog.com/art-therapy-seniors/creating-art-with-older-adults-elderly/