9. What can caregivers do to help loved ones age well? The biggest issue that caregivers, especially family caregivers, face is finding a balance between safety and risk. Our advice to caregivers is, don’t automatically go for safety. Older people do take risks – so do we. But when you’re 75, it seems as if everybody suddenly has a license to control your risks. It would be great to see more open discussion between the generations about what the greatest risks really are. Is it worth moving to a place (such as a nursing home) where the risk of falling and not being found is reduced if the move means completely leaving your neighborhood, your home, and the environment in which you've lived for 50 years? The ability to make decisions is very important for each person...regardless of age. People need to be in control of their own lives and the decisions that affect them in order to feel good about themselves. It’s also important to talk about advance directives, advance planning, and what your older relative’s wishes are for their end-of-life care. A great deal of medicine is oriented towards keeping people from dying; however, if you look at the top fears of people over the age of 75, the fear of death is not very big. They’re more worried about becoming dependent on other people and becoming burdens to their families Talk with your parents or older relatives. Listen to their concerns. Find out whether they want medical interventions if those interventions mean they will become dependent or require nursing home care.
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