Pittwater Life May 2018 Issue

Health & Wellbeing
Handle with care: When
Special report by Lisa Offord
Health & Wellbeing
It can be frustrating to see an elderly
loved one refuse or resist care when you
are concerned about their wellbeing and
safety… so how do you best approach this
challenging issue?
Owner-Care Manager Home Care Assistance
Delia Schaffer said first and foremost
it was important to recognise that loved
ones in need of care were often suffering
one or more losses – loss of physical or
mental health, loss of spouse, loss of lifestyle…
friends… independence.
“Resistance to care is quite common in
situations of loss, often associated with
strong emotions that an elderly loved one
may be feeling: anger about needing help,
fear of losing privacy, distress from multiple
changes at once, fear of new routines or
financial worries,” Delia said.
“Also, the nervous system, like most bodily
systems, tends to deteriorate with age or
from diseases common in older age – this
often leads to a reduced capacity to cope
with change.
“Memory loss, mental health issues,
lack of insight, or a more formal diagnosis,
would make it difficult for an elderly loved
one to understand why they need help.
“A stubborn character can also be the
cause in some cases.”
Delia said often concerns for safety and
wellbeing, or concerns about a dishevelled
home, drove adult children to offer extra
care to an elderly parent.
But improved safety or cleanliness was
not always what an elderly loved one was
interested in.
“Improved cleanliness can be perceived as
a threat in fact, if it means that their belongings
will be moved around,” she said.
“We have observed a few times, after a
‘care worker trial’ (involving an elderly parent
obligingly agreeing to a request by their
PATIENCE: It often takes time to talk with an aged loved one about the need for care in the home.
adult children), that the parent refused to
have further ‘domestic assistance’ because
they didn’t like finding things in different
spots after the care worker visit.”
Care workers also commonly observed
distress when they tried to move clutter.
“Not uncommonly, they need to wait a number
of weeks until a rapport has been built
and then they need to discuss in detail with
care recipients exactly what they can move
and where it can be moved to.
If done patiently and with respect, a cleaner
home could be a benefit of care.
“However, a domestic assistance visit can
be perceived as a disaster, depending on the
personality of your elderly loved one, and
may not be an ‘easy-sell’.”
Research shows most Australians aged 60
and over would prefer to stay in their own
homes as they age.
“Therefore staying home longer will often
be the most compelling motivation for an
elderly loved one to accept care,” Delia said.
She added it was important for elderly
adults to be aware that if they did go into
hospital for any reason in the future, hospital
discharge teams had a duty of care to
ensure patients had sufficient care arrangements
at home before releasing them.
“Elderly patients who can demonstrate
that they have had care workers visiting
them in the home for an ongoing period
prior to hospitalisation, may have an easier
time getting released to home, rather than
getting released to residential care – after
hospitalisation for a fall, for example.”
Avoiding a fall in the first place, that could
lead to hospitalisation or residential care,
44 MAY 2018
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