Edited by: Breanne Brazeale
I did not realize how lonely some people get as they age. There is often a lot less interaction with family members who have to work and are tired after spending long hours at their job all week. These folks have their own responsibilities to take care of, such as kids in after- school activities, grandkids, their homes and bills, and often struggle to care for an aging parent. Some parents have had to move to be closer to children, so they may lose their long time social networks and can lose their closest relationships. I have seen this over and over. They become dependent on their children and their families for social support that may not be there.
If families have strained relationships with each other, there are even more issues of painful interactions, misunderstandings, guilty feelings, resentment, and other emotions that come out during these tough times while attempting to be a caregiver. Siblings may have very different relationships with their parents. Some may be more cooperative and willing to help while others are not. Conflicts can occur. Some children of elderly parents may be very unstable themselves and cannot properly help.
The good news is that if you are struggling with some of these issues, not only are you not alone, but there are solutions as well. We can reverse many of our failing health problems if we work at it. Some of these problems can even be prevented with some knowledge and planning. Proper nutrition, exercise, support and resources for mental and physical well-being can go a long way to ensuring a graceful passage into our later years. We can help ourselves and our parents age gracefully. In our clinic and at our classes, we are working to help people learn all that they can about this thing called graceful aging. We will add to our posts here and continue to teach how to overcome long term aging problems and age backwards!
