087- Interview: Coping with Difficult Older Parents

In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with family caregiving expert Barbara Kane, LCSW, co-author of “Coping With Your Difficult Older Parent: A Guide for Stressed-Out Children.” She is a co-founder of Aging Network Services, which provides geriatric care management and psychotherapy services. They discuss:

What it means to be a “difficult” older person, and why most such older parents have been “difficult” their entire lives
Categories of difficult behavior, including dependent, “turnoff”, self-centered, controlling, self-destructive, and fearful behaviors
How Aging Network Services helps adult children examine and improve their own interactions with their aging parents
Why age-related challenges are especially hard on “difficult” people
Why adult children must often learn to tolerate an older parent’s unhappiness
How it can help to stop arguing, stop “trying to fix,” and stop “trying to please”
Tips on boundaries and setting limits with an older parent
How bringing in a geriatric care manager can help an aging parent accept needed help
Strategies for better communication with siblings when discussing plans for aging parents

Related episodes:

069- Evaluating Memory & Thinking Problems: 10 Causes & 10 Things to Check

028- When Older Parents Resist Help: 4 Tips for Better Talks