Caring for Your Aging Parents

Caring for Your Aging Parents

Season 01 Episode 05

Four Attitudes that Affect the Aging Experience

Did you know that mindset plays a significant role in the quality of our aging experience? Mindset is an essential piece of the puzzle if you want to age well and have a quality experience later in life. Listen to today's episode, where I talk about the four attitudes that affect the aging experience, including age denial, age adaptation, age irrelevance, and age affirmation.

Attitude is One of the Many Factors that Influence the Aging Process

Attitude is just one of many factors that can influence the aging process. While maintaining a positive attitude is beneficial, it's not a guarantee of immunity from the challenges that come with aging - genetics, lifestyle factors, and overall health also play significant roles in how well we age.

Psychosocial Aging

The notion that attitude affects how you age is united with the concept of psychosocial aging. Research suggests that psychological factors, including attitude and mindset, can significantly impact and influence how people experience and perceive aging. 

A positive attitude can help individuals cope with stress more effectively. Chronic stress has been linked to various health issues, including cardiovascular problems, weakened immune function, and cognitive decline. By maintaining a positive outlook and adopting effective coping strategies, individuals may reduce the detrimental effects of stress on their overall health and well-being.

Resilience refers to an individual's ability to bounce back from adversity and adapt to life's challenges and is highly correlated with better psychological and physical health outcomes. A positive attitude and optimistic outlook can contribute to resilience, allowing individuals to successfully navigate the aging process.

Your attitude can greatly influence health behaviors like exercise, diet, and self-care. A positive attitude towards aging may motivate individuals to engage in healthy habits, leading to better physical and mental well-being. Conversely, a negative attitude or belief that aging is a decline or loss may discourage individuals from adopting beneficial health behaviors.

A positive mindset can foster higher-quality social connections and maintain a strong social support network. Social isolation and loneliness have been linked to various negative health outcomes, including increased mortality rates and cognitive decline. By maintaining positive relationships and engaging in social activities, individuals can mitigate the effects of social isolation and age more positively.

While cognitive function can decline in older adults, research has found that older adults with positive attitudes toward aging tend to perform better on cognitive tests, have a reduced risk of developing dementia, and experience a slower rate of cognitive decline compared to those with negative attitudes.

Podcast Resources 

Caring For Your Aging Parents on YouTube

Visit us to find out more on Caring for Your Aging Parents

Give me a call to locate a senior placement specialist in your area 503.830.1812

Caring for Your Aging Parents

Season 01 Episode 04

Caring for My Terminally Ill Father

Welcome to Caring For Your Aging Parents, where I assist the elderly and their caretakers by providing education on how to take care of your aging parents. There will be new episodes every week where you’ll receive valuable information on how to make confident, informed decisions on elderly care.

How I Cared for My Terminally Ill Father

Both my parents had cancer in the same timespan - and they both passed away within a year of each other. I understand how hard it is to take care of your parents, especially when you’re managing doctors, their place of residence, medical bills, and finding the right type of care when they have to leave the hospital. It’s hard to juggle family life when you have your parents to take care of, and this episode will give you a bit of an insight into the challenges I faced taking care of my terminally ill parents over a decade ago.

When we found out my dad had cancer, he was diagnosed with Stage IV adenocarcinoma. Today, I believe he had Celiac disease that was undiagnosed as this type of cancer is one of the cancers you can get when you don’t eat a gluten free diet. Because we have auto-immune in our family, it’s very probable that he was Celiac and wasn't aware of it. Had he known, he would have changed his diet and would not have had cancer.

Because your small intestine absorbs your nutrients, you can be eating many calories a day, but never absorb any nutrition. In turn, you’re eating and losing a significant amount of weight because you’re not absorbing your food. When my dad was diagnosed, they gave him six months to live. Although he lived for three years, he wasted away slowly as his body wasn’t able to sustain basic functioning and his digestive tract was riddled with disease.

In this episode, I talk about the overall journey taking care of my father, what we went through, and the challenges I faced when caring for my terminally ill father, including finding a care facility with certified nursing on staff after one of the times he was released from the hospital.

Podcast Resources 

Caring For Your Aging Parents on YouTube

Visit us to find out more on Caring for Your Aging Parents

Give me a call to locate a senior placement specialist in your area 503.830.1812

Caring for Your Aging Parents

Season 01 Episode 03

Caring for My Terminally Ill Mother

Welcome to Caring For Your Aging Parents, where I assist the elderly and their caretakers by providing education on how to take care of your aging parents. There will be new episodes every week where you’ll receive valuable information on how to make confident, informed decisions on elderly care.

How I Cared for My Terminally Ill Mother

Both my parents had cancer in the same timespan - and they both passed away within a year of each other. I understand how hard it is to take care of your parents, especially when you’re managing doctors, their place of residence, medical bills, and finding the right type of care when they have to leave the hospital. It’s hard to juggle family life when you have your parents to take care of, and this episode will give you a bit of an insight into the challenges I faced taking care of my terminally ill parents over a decade ago.

My mom was especially hard to take care of because she didn’t have an invested interest in taking care of herself. She had a poor diet and lifestyle, which led to her having and not surviving stage 1 breast cancer, even with an early diagnosis. If she had a healthier lifestyle, she would have been able to survive her cancer. 

In addition to her poor lifestyle habits, she also implicitly trusted her doctor, even when she showed signs of her cancer returning and her oncologist ignored them. She refused to get a second opinion, and that mistake cost her her life. 

When you have parents that are stubborn or won’t listen to reason, and they are cognizant and able to make decisions, you have to let go emotionally to protect yourself. This is a healthy boundary to have and is essential to know which battles to choose with your parents when you care for them as they age.

Podcast Resources 

Caring For Your Aging Parents on YouTube

Visit us to find out more on Caring for Your Aging Parents

Give me a call to locate a senior placement specialist in your area 503.830.1812

Caring for Your Aging Parents

Season 01 Episode 02

Caring for My Terminally Ill Parents

Welcome to Caring For Your Aging Parents, where I assist the elderly and their caretakers by providing education on how to take care of your aging parents. There will be new episodes every week where you’ll receive valuable information on how to make confident, informed decisions on elderly care.

How I Cared for My Terminally Ill Parents

Both my parents had cancer in the same timespan - and they both passed away within a year of each other. I understand how hard it is to take care of your parents, especially when you’re managing doctors, their place of residence, medical bills, and finding the right type of care when they have to leave the hospital. It’s hard to juggle family life when you have your parents to take care of, and this episode will give you a bit of an insight into the challenges I faced taking care of my terminally ill parents over a decade ago.

How you provide care for your parents depends on many things, such as their own preferences, disabilities, and of course affordability and access. The best choice for your parents may not be the same choice your neighbor or cousin makes, but by preparing well and educating yourself, you can provide care with confidence. 

Learning to Be a Caregiver

Transitioning into a caregiving role can be confusing and scary no matter what your situation is. I understand the journey personally, and next week I’ll be sharing my story of how I took care of my parents while also balancing my family and education. I hope to give you the strength, ability, and information necessary so that you can make the best choice for your own situation. 

Podcast Resources 

Caring For Your Aging Parents on YouTube

Visit us to find out more on Caring for Your Aging Parents

Give me a call to locate a senior placement specialist in your area 503.830.1812

Caring for Your Aging Parents

Season 01 Episode 01 Trailer

Talking about Caring for Your Aging Parents

Welcome to Caring For Your Aging Parents, where I, a certified senior care advisor, assist elderly and their caretakers by providing education on how to take care of your aging parents. There will be new episodes every week where you’ll receive valuable information on how to make confident, informed decisions for your parents or whomever you’re caring for.

We all spend so much of our lives depending on our parents; now, many of you may be adjusting to or preparing for a time where they depend on you, instead. It’s important to know what options you have for your parents and their unique situation, and this is the place to get it.

What To Expect from this Podcast

In this podcast, I’ll go over the many components that go into caring for your aging parents, such as: private pay, Medicare and Medicaid, the different types of living facilities, and much more. In the subjects where I’m not an expert, I’ll be bringing in elder care-specific experts who can share their best practices and advice so that you have every tool at your disposal.

How you provide care for your parents depends on many things, such as their own preferences, disabilities, and of course affordability and access. The best choice for your parents may not be the same choice your neighbor or cousin makes, but by preparing well and educating yourself, you can provide care with confidence.

Learning to Be a Caregiver

Transitioning into a caregiving role can be confusing and scary no matter what your situation is. I understand the journey personally, and next week I’ll be sharing my story of how I took care of my parents while also balancing my family and education. I hope to give you the strength, ability, and information necessary so that you can make the best choice for your own situation.

Podcast Resources

Caring For Your Aging Parents on YouTube

Visit us to find out more on Caring for Your Aging Parents

Give me a call to locate a senior placement specialist in your area 503.830.1812