Comfort Keepers Home Care Santa Clarita President Myles McNamara is encouraging adult children to have what he calls “the talk” with senior loved ones sooner rather than later.

Instead of waiting for something to happen where extra care is needed immediately — like a slip and fall — McNamara believes in being proactive and talking about what assistance might look like before any issues occur.

“It’s a slippery slope, I’m not going to lie to you,” he said. “(But) we have to have ‘the talk’ with our parents… Talk about it when it’s not an issue. Say, ‘How does this look for you down the road?’”

Related: Comfort Keepers Home Care Santa Clarita: Caregivers Need To Take Care Of Themselves Too

McNamara recently experienced this with his own mother, whom he noticed was “getting wobbly on her feet,” and decided it was time to talk to her before she fell and hurt herself, or worse.

“I said, ‘Mom, what does this look like for you?’ And she starts talking about how lonely she is at home,” McNamara recalled. “So that segwayed us into talking about assisted living and the options out there if home care wasn’t the option.”

While McNamara advises always approaching the conversation with respect and dignity for the senior loved one, he also recommends being direct.

“Anybody that tells you it’s an easy conversation is lying to you because it’s not, but the farther out you have that conversation before it becomes an issue (the easier it is),” McNamara explained. “Say, ‘You know what Mom, I don’t want to have you making these decisions at the drop of a hat, so when something happens, tell me what you want to do. Let’s go out and visit facilities now and have an idea of what’s out there before it’s an issue. Let’s talk about home care.’”

Being proactive instead of reactive can help senior loved ones feel more in control of their own life, and therefore less likely to feel like they’re losing their independence, according to McNamara.

“It’s a hard transition for our parents… We always have to evaluate what they’re going through,” he said. “So again, have that talk before it’s an issue.”

Comfort Keepers Home Care first opened in Santa Clarita in 2001 with the vision of helping seniors age with dignity and independence in their own homes. If you are in search of a trusted and experienced in home caregiver, Santa Clarita seniors and their families need look no further than Comfort Keepers Home Care, Santa Clarita.  With a full range of senior care options that can be tailored to meet each individual’s elder care needs, Comfort Keepers Home Care offers quality home care services Santa Clarita seniors can trust to help them achieve the highest level of quality of life.

Comfort Keepers Home Care Santa Clarita

23900 Lyons Ave

Santa Clarita, CA 91321

(661) 430-6687

Comfort Keepers – Santa Clarita

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