Denial isn’t entirely bad. It can get you through some bad times, but usually only if you’re using it in the short term. As a caregiver, denial is not a tactic you want to rely on too heavily.

Face Some of the Hard Truths

Truth, especially difficult truths, can be extremely difficult to accept and to manage. This is especially the case if your senior’s truth is that her prognosis is not so good. But you’re not doing her any favors if you’re relying on half-truths and self-deception. It’s vital that you start facing up to what’s really going on.

Get Some Real Medical Advice

Depending on how far from what’s really going on you’ve been, you might want to set aside some time for a heart to heart with your senior’s doctor. The more accurate your information, the better. Talk about what you need to know and about what’s likely to happen for your senior in the coming months and years. You may want to do some of your own research, too. Don’t hide from what’s going on.

Investigate Why Denial Has Been Working for You

At this point, you might be tempted to ditch the process of removing denial. After all, it’s comfortable. So what else has denial been doing for you? It might have been keeping you from feeling the fear or worry that you have about your senior’s condition. Or you might find that you’re angrier now that you’re not letting yourself hide behind denial. Whatever it’s been doing for you is important to address because you need another way to deal with those situations.

Line up Some Help for You and Your Senior

Something else you might need is some more help. You might even find that you need time away a little more often now that you’re facing up to what’s really going on. That’s all okay as long as you’re not trying to hide again. Senior care providers can help you with some of the more difficult or upsetting tasks that you need to handle. They can also help you with respite time so that you know your senior is in good hands while you’re away.

Denial can be pretty comfortable, so it’s difficult to shed it completely. But you can’t keep leaning on what you want to be true about your senior’s health and her future. Getting yourself back to reality is one of the most helpful things you can do as her caregiver.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Senior Care in San Jose, CA, contact the friendly staff at Home Care Professionals today.
Call (866)-940-4855

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andy@hcprosonline.com

CEO at HomeCare Professionals

Andy Howardis a Bay Area Native who holds a BA in Political Science (University of Colorado at Boulder, ’97). After college Andy worked in the surging tech industry.His Grandmother however, would suffer a significant decline in health and ultimately needed in-home care. The experience of a loved one depending on outside help to age in place proved to be pivotal for Andy as he left the tech industry in 2002 for an opportunity in the home care world with a large provider. After having success in home care, but being frustrated by corporate constraints Andy founded HomeCare Professionals in 2005.He methodically built the company one client at a time by focusing on hiring quality caregivers to ensure positive outcomes. Currently Andy serves as the CEO of HomeCare Professionals and is also highly active in the non-profit organization California Association of Health Services at Home (CAHSAH) which advocates for a higher standard of in-home care for those who wish to remain living at home in California.

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