Nancy Witzeling had one heart-to-heart talk after another with her 90-year-old mother who has dementia. Staying at home alone is not a good idea, she pointed out. I told her, You cannot stay by yourself, and she would become very angry. She could not remember that she could not remember.
When Janet Bullards mother started showing dementia symptoms, her father whod had a long and prestigious medical career dedicated himself to caring for her. That was until he started needing help as well. My dad was taking over more and more, and didnt have the background to understand what needed to be done, Bullard said. Initially, professional caregivers who came in to assist were incompatible.
Although they are a country apart, Witzeling, an American long-distance family caregiver and home-based graphic designer, and Canadian Janet Bullard, a senior-care professional who lives just three blocks from her parents, face many of the same issues. Both families are representative of the varied reasons that seniors resist assistance, from invasion of privacy to fear of change. Likewise, both have found ways to turn resistance into assistance by tapping into community resources, their professional backgrounds and common sense.
The Home Instead Senior Care
