How to Cope When Your Loved One Refuses Your Help

Home Care in Milford CT

It’s depressing when your loved one refuses help that you’re offering or even the help of third parties who are there to give you an extra hand. The good news is that with a little patience, you can overcome this issue.

Keep in Mind He’s Doing the Best He Can, Too

If your loved one is experiencing big changes to his normal methods of getting things done, changes can be frightening and drastic to him. As a family caregiver, you’re doing the best that you can to cope with those changes. Try to remember that he’s doing the best that he can right now, too. As he’s better able to cope, his responses are more likely to change.

Try Again Later

Sometimes a loved one needs more time to get used to the idea. Whether it’s help from you directly or help from a non-medical caregiver, sometimes your loved one just doesn’t see the need for the assistance at first. After he’s had a chance to get used to the idea, he might have a different feeling about the topic, so it’s worth it to wait for a bit and try again another time.

Introduce Help Gradually

If your loved one isn’t so keen on the idea of having non-medical caregivers helping him out, try it out on a short term basis first. Maybe you have a non-medical caregiver visit for an hour while you go to a doctor’s appointment that you’ve been putting off. Then you can extend the visit next week to a couple of hours while you meet an old friend for coffee. Eventually, your loved one will become more accustomed to having other forms of help around.

Make Sure Your Loved One Has a Say in the Decision

When your loved one feels that he doesn’t have any type of say about this topic, he might be more resistant than usual. Reassure your loved one that he’s definitely a part of the final decision. He may want to help interview non-medical caregivers or he might want to be able to visit with them while you’re still at home. Whatever makes your loved one more comfortable and helps to maintain his dignity is worth trying.