We all have relatives that are aging. We are aging ourselves! How does society usually respond to aging? By avoiding it!
Most avoid discussions about aging because getting older can be scary. We don’t know what the future holds and we may wonder who will care for us and if we get sick, disabled, or lose our minds. We do what we can to avoid, prevent, prolong, and hide any signs of aging.
Unfortunately, we will age and we are missing the opportunities to design our aging journey as a family team which aides in minimizing crises and improving the care and support we can give to our aging relatives.
So how can you Age by Design™? Talk. Yes, just talk to your aging relatives and begin conversations about aging.
Sounds easy in theory but I recognize it is difficult to execute. Breathe easy and take your time with this. You are not in a race and you don’t need to panic and make hasty decisions that can affect you and your family long term.
In fact, when you have a bit more time with your families, try to get to know your aging relatives in a different way than in the past. This knowledge will help you build meaningful connections and provide you with insight into how they view aging as an individual, as a couple, as a family and as a society as a whole.
Today is the start of a conversation journey. Follow these 4 steps to ease you gently into learning about your relative and initiate discussions about the future. …
Main image: seewhatmitchsee / Shutterstock.com
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