Tips for Helping Your Aging Parent Navigate Grief
Navigating the journey of aging brings opportunities for growth and resilience, despite its inevitable challenges. For your senior parents, they have accumulated wisdom and life experiences. They may also encounter moments of loss, such as the passing of friends, siblings, or even a spouse, along with managing their own health challenges.
Strategies for Comfort and Coping
If your parent is currently grappling with the loss of someone close, it can be tough to know how to effectively comfort them. Consider these empowering strategies that foster comfort and resilience when helping a loved one experiencing grief:
Give Them Time to Process
You can’t rush the grieving process. The Family Caregiver Alliance advises allowing your parent to express whatever feelings they’re having, even if that includes anger or bitterness. In order to heal, they have to fully feel the pain of the loss. Be patient and allow them this time.
Surround Them with Support
Grief can have a huge impact on your parent’s emotional state and can cause them to socially isolate. That’s why it’s crucial that they feel supported by friends and family members. Try to schedule regular time to chat with your parent, whether in person or over the phone. Additionally, once they’re ready, you can help them find area support groups and forums to connect with others who have gone through similar losses.
Ensure Their Needs Are Being Met
It’s normal for a grieving person to experience symptoms like loss of appetite or exhaustion. However, if your parent is forgetting to eat altogether or not sticking to their hygiene routine, you may need to step in or consider hiring outside help, like a professional caregiver.
Continue to Show Up
It’s important to be there to offer support in the months following the funeral, when many others have gone back to their routines. Certain milestones, such as birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries, are more difficult for the bereaved. Be sure to send a card, give them a call, or check in with your parent on those important dates.
Seek Professional Assistance
If you feel that your parent is struggling to move past the loss or could use additional support, counseling can be beneficial for them. Psychology Today can help you locate therapists who specialize in grief in the Arlington Heights area or reach out to their physician for resources.
Visiting Angels Arlington Heights Is Here
As much as you would like to play a major role in your parent’s support system, it’s not always possible for you or other family members to help them in person. That’s where Visiting Angels Arlington Heights comes in. Our professional caregivers are here to serve as trusted companions to seniors coping with feelings of loneliness, in addition to providing assistance with daily tasks.
For more information about our flexible home care options or to set up a free initial consultation, please fill out our online contact form or give us a call at 847-963-8944.