Better Health and Fitness > Library > Aging Issues
How to Discuss Aging with the Family
by Enrique de
Argaez
Lately I've been wondering about
an issue that may not have an appropriate answer to it right
away: "How do we know that we're making the right decisions?" I
mean, in some cases it's pretty obvious what is good and what is
bad, right? If you see a little child heading for the street, for
instance, you'll run, grab the child, and so prevent him or her
from being hit by a car. Decisions like those are easy to make.
But what about the huge ones? Those, which appear every now and
then in our lives: The kind that we have to make when we find
ourselves at a crossroad. The ones that will cause the one thing
we fear most: change.
In the next twenty-five years,
the number of seniors in the World will double. As the world
population gets older, seniors and their families will need to make
important decisions about many aging issues like retirement, choosing
a Medicare plan or drafting a living will. How do you start these
difficult, yet important conversations before it's too late?
As a growing number of Americans, Europeans, Hispanics, and all the
population ages, seniors and their adult children face decisions about
life, health, and aging. While communication is important to ensure the
health and wishes of seniors and their loved ones, a new survey shows
these discussions are not taking place between the generations.
The Roper Survey that was done by WellPoint, showed a disconnect between
the generations. For example, seventy-four percent of seniors felt comfortable
talking about health, yet only thirty-two percent of seniors and their
children were talking about this important subject.
It's a tough conversation. Before tackling living wills , find the right
place, find the right time. No distractions. Have a quiet place to meet. And
then start the conversation by discussing health. It's an easy topic to get
going on.
The tricky part about making
crucial decisions is, nevertheless, that only time will tell you
whether it was a good one or a not-so-good one. Especially when
your decisions involve people, there will always be a risk
factor. Because people change. And you change. What felt good yesterday,
may feel bad today. For "All our final decisions are made in a state of
mind that is not going to last." (Marcel Proust)
Making the
right decision has nothing to do with your level of education.
Even without established statements by famous people from the
past, we should all agree with that, for the simple reason that
there's a clear distinction between intellect and compassion. But
the famous statements may nevertheless illustrate it better.
Here's one: "Some people, however long their experience or strong
their intellect, are temperamentally incapable of reaching firm
decisions" (James Callaghan). Here's another interesting one:
"Most of our executives make very sound decisions. The trouble
is, many of them have turned out not to have been right" (Donald
Bullock).
For more tips and information, get in touch with an expert.
For example, visit Connecting the generations.
About the Author:
Enrique de Argaez, MBA, PE,
Webmaster and editor of this web site.
(URL: Better Health and Fitness )
