I am nearing 62 years old and planning to retire and relocate with my wife in the near future from a highly stressful career.
My elderly parents live independently in their own home fairly close to us. They are very financially secure as far as we are aware. However, our relationship has not been the best over the years. They have been very self-centered, secretive, cheap and refuse to discuss their future health plans with myself or my wife. My Mother has had some mental issues, but has always been very manipulative, selfish and has reacted very badly when we have mentioned our retirement plans and relocation. I have attempted to discuss my parent’s future health plans with my only brother who resides in another state, but he backs away from any productive conversation and involvement.
In recent years, my parents have had several health issues, however they stubbornly will not seek appropriate medical care and treatment. They typically ask me about their health problems seemingly seeking my input, yet will not follow through with my guidance to receive specialized care. One possible reason not outside the realm of possibilities is that they are too cheap to pay the health insurance copayments. My brother exacerbates the situation by ‘self-diagnosing’ my parent’s symptoms over the internet encouraging them to even further delay proper medical attention.
My parents and brother have long histories of being insensible. My wife and I are very frustrated and feel that we waste our efforts and energy trying to engage my parents in any productive conversations. In particular, I often feel guilty, burdened and responsible for my parents well-being. In addition, we are dealing with many of our own health, life and family issues thus feeling extremely overwhelmed. We want to feel at peace with what we are capable and willing to do regarding the future of my parents.
Any insights would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
Johnc1
Your parents dont want to listen to you. Want you available when they want you. You should continue your retirement plans. Too bad. You are not their caretaker or poa. They dont even listen to your input. Cont with your plans! You make you happy. You cant make them happy unless you become their personal assistant at beck and call. And you no longer are doing that.
Elderly people tend to become cheap bc they know they could live a long time and need that $ later and not have it. Thats why the house starts to deteriorate, or why healthcare needs go out the window. They are scared they won't have it when needed, since they arent working.
Id let all know you are continuing with your plans reguardless. Brother wont take responsibility, why is it all on you?
You can always call long distance and help them get in home care later. Or help pick options later. Dont put your life on hold. You will be absolutely miserable! Forge ahead! Good luck.
As much as it might pain us children to hear our parents' complaints or concerns, if they are not willing to take our advice and act on it, there is no point to doing so OR feeling guilty that you haven't helped.
At this time it sounds like they would be considered mentally competent. It also sounds like having some kind of POA for financial or medical issues is out of the question (based on your saying they refuse to discuss future health plans and that they are 'secretive.') So, there really isn't anything you can do to change that. They are adults, they can choose to do as they please. The only thing you can do is 'be at peace.'
Make your retirement plans and relocate. Other than providing a new address in case they need it, I wouldn't even bother bringing the topic up again.
Seems pretty clear that your brother has already taken the 'hands off' approach (even if he does do symptom look-ups, that doesn't address the underlying issue.) So, you should follow suit. If the parents have a "medical" complaint, politely tell them you don't have a medical degree, they should call their doctor.
Medicare, in case they are not aware of it, provides an in-home health 'assessment' (personally I consider this a supplemental insurance money-grab - what can they possibly do in your home?? I declined the few times they managed to ask me, and ignore their calls and letters about it!) In their case it might be somewhat useful, if they are not going for yearly checks, etc. Medicare also provides a yearly "wellness" exam at no charge (another checkup I consider somewhat useless - it is NOT a traditional full physical exam.)
Some people distrust the medical system. Certainly there are cases of mis-treatments and abusing the system, but in general our medical care far exceeds what was available 50 years ago! Just learn to be your own advocate, ask questions (drug questions should go to the pharmacist), etc. You can only suggest they talk to their doctor. They say no, discussion is over. NO guilt. If the issue is non-covered payments, again, not your problem or issue to deal with.
"My wife and I are very frustrated and feel that we waste our efforts and energy trying to engage my parents in any productive conversations." The way to alleviate the frustration and reduce effort and energy is to STOP trying to engage in productive conversations. You should both know by now it is pointless. Doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result, you need to stop. The result isn't going to change.
"In particular, I often feel guilty, burdened and responsible for my parents well-being." We are NOT responsible for our parents' well-being, especially when they won't engage or listen. It is commendable to want to help and make efforts to help, but when they are rebuffed all the time, you need to know when to stop - that time is NOW. You have tried, many many times, so don't let guilt creep in either. If you stop the attempts to engage, or to make their lives "better", and work on telling yourselves you have already tried this, those feelings of guilt will subside. As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water... Well, in your case, you CANNOT lead the horse to the water OR make it drink, so don't go there.
If/when the time arrives that a medical crisis arises, that's when you can try to help out. Certainly it is better to nip medical conditions early, but you can NOT force them to do anything, so it is a waiting game. We don't know what life has in store for them (or us), but you can do/gain nothing from worrying about it now.
For now, focus on your own health, life and family issues and prepare for that retirement and relocation!
I first thought prayer. To get the change started. You just say it & let God do the work. If you don't subscribe, I'm not trying to "push" - but it works for me. Things start changing for me that tumble into the direction that it needs to go.
Next, keep doing what you're doing because it's something vs nothing and you have to live with your conscience. To that end, I believe the bigger your spider web, the greater your chance of catching flies. Meaning, start searching resources and leave no rock unturned - bigger and bigger; and don't quit. Seek and you will find kind of thing...
Maybe the Office on Aging (OOA) in your area can refer to some home-health care companies as they have nurses, physical & occupational therapists that make house calls. Maybe one will be willing to work with your situation (insurance or not). OOA can refer you to support groups that might have resource connections too.
Explain it to your own doctor and ask for ideas/suggestions. It very rare, but I have had the luck of 2 doctors offering their home phone number if I had questions.
What do they listen to? Facts? Do they actually have any kind of insurance? Find out & research on your own what's available. I've often called medical entities starting off with, "I know you can't talk about XYZ's situation & that's ok; my question is what resources do you have available for people with blah, blah problems with only blah, blah insurance?" And I go from there. See the angle? It opens doors. Then come back to them with 'the facts'.
??? Good luck & God bless.
All you can Do, Is if you see anything that will Endanger them, Call Adult Protective Services to Begin the Bal Rolling as a Facility maybe down the Road for Them...If it comes to this. If they don't make you POA of anything, You are screwed, You heart is the only thing to go on that won't benefit you in the future but Help them down the line, Should something go crazy. Your life is your Own at Home, Right Now, But if you are Like Me, Your Heart from the Start is the Only Thing Holding you there Cos you so much Care...God Bless your Bro, God KNOW:((xx
Blessings
My mother is near deaf, severe memory loss, and will NOT listen. I have been to 2 audiologists only to have her return the hearing aids because she can’t stand to spend the money; I have gone to so many doctors that I can’t keep up, but she won’t listen. I finally understand that I cannot do anything, and I won’t be held hostage to her anymore. SHE has to live with the consequences of her inaction. SHE will be responsible for herself and I am absolved myself of the burden because it was affecting my health. I REGRET bringing her to my home to live. My privacy is gone, cant leave for extended periods of time, and spent so much time with her, my other relationships suffered. For what? So I have told her the first time she calls confused, she goes to assisted living. I am also thinking about selling my home just so I can get her out, because she won’t go to a condo where i am considering. I resent her for robbing me of my retirement. It wasn’t my plan to be a babysitter, and she does not care one bit. If you are looking for approval to walk away, then you need to do it. You ARE wasting your effort and time and it will affect your overall health and life. Said life is short, and your parents will NOT change. They are responsible for their decisions, so best of luck and good wishes to you.
Take care and don’t get stressed.
It may make them see they are foolish but if it doesn’t, you are no further behind than you are now.
Your parents prefer to lean on you instead of planning and managing their later years properly and using the resources at their disposal. They are more interested in claiming your attention than in listening to your advice or actually dealing with the issues. You don't want to do the job - you're not even qualified to do the job or well able to cope with it - but you feel bad about walking away. It is a dilemma.
It is a dilemma that your brother has resolved by moving away and ignoring it.
What about... moving away, getting on with your life, and ignoring it except when your parents communicate real problems capable of real solution?
I wonder, too, if learning to resent having your time wasted might be helpful to you.
As a caregiver in the day-to-day trenches attending every appointment, I saw tremendous amounts of self-referral, over-medication and even instances where unnecessary surgery was recommended. It was clear that some doctors lack knowledge, do not read drug interactions (or even allergies!) before prescribing and are frequently guessing. Not all the doctors, just some. Hopefully they are doing their best, but even that can be questionable.
I found a couple doctors I could trust, who admitted that many doctors are not trustworthy. One doctor urged me to take my mother out of the hospital, “she’ll get killed by these doctors if she stays,” she said. I wasn’t really physically ready to resume 24/7 care, but I listened and got her out immediately.
If my psrents would have gine to each any every referral, their “golden years” would have turned into “fluorescent” years, sitting on stained couches in dreary smelly waiting rooms, waiting to have yet another doctor add something useless to their drug cocktail.
At some point, they picked and chose their appointments. When I started caregiving, they went to each and every appointment at my insistence. After time, I saw they were right—I let them pick and choose again.
My parents were right. Even if your parents aren’t, this is their life and they should decide how they want to spend it. If you start going with them to every appointment, you may get a different perspective.
It also sounds like they are their own worst enemies.
That is NOT YOUR FAULT.
Retire, relocate, and let their health be handled in the fashion they choose. You've tried; they don't care to avail themselves of your help.
Their lack of common sense does not make their looming health emergencies any of your concern.
Their choices have consequences. For them.
If you'd like a long-running story of how bad choices lead to bad outcomes, read the "I'm so disheartened and angry" thread. It's a tale of a family making poor choices and one woman's quest to regain her life by setting boundaries.
https://www.agingcare.com/questions/elderly-parent-wants-me-to-give-up-retirement-dream-and-care-for-them-while-refusing-to-discuss-thei-447098.htm
It comes down to, seems like even if you stayed around, your parents will do what they want. So, nothing you can do. You have to let them make their own decisions, good or bad. Do what you want, make your plans. Call Office of Aging and find out what resources are out there for them. Give parents the info. Call them regularly so you can hear any changes. If u do, call O of A for a well check. Visit as much as possible but enjoy ur retirement. They will not change and it gets worse with age.
Take care of your own health issues as it seems right now, you don't have options for making your parents see the light. If they are too cheap for co pays as you suggest it is their decision. Been going through this for years with not only my Dad, but with mother in law. I hope you get resolve, but sometimes it is a matter of a real health scare that awakens the stubborn ones.