A nice article appeared in the Montreal Gazette:
Schwartz: Patience is a virtue when dealing with aging parents
Dr. Michael Gordon gave a lecture on “Parenting your Parents”. Some of the tips he gave were as follows:
- Be sensitive
- Treat them with dignity
- Empathy will help guide you.
- Slow down.
- Be patient.
- Don’t take over.
- Listen to the stories with patience even if you have heard them before.
- Ask lots of questions and know what they can and cannot do.
- Don’t be rushed when there is a crisis.
- Roll with the punches
- Caregivers need to look after themselves.
- Pick and choose where you can be most effective.
You can find out more about Dr. Gordon’s works at his website: http://www.drmichaelgordon.com/