Caregiving & Aging July 2023 Newsletter

Jul 18, 2023

How to Prepare for a Visit

Have a visit planned to grandparents this summer, yet things have changed since you saw them last? What is a good way to prepare children and ourselves for having a meaningful visit with elders if they have moved into an Assisted Living or Memory Care setting? Here are some helpful tips to consider as you prepare for your visit any time of year:

• Consider both the emotional and physical impact of the visit on you and your children. This is different according to age of the child, your relationship and how long since you have seen the person.
• Discuss how people’s bodies undergo change when aging and how the process affects how people interact with each other. For example: eye sight and hearing change and the first hearing loss is high frequency. Children’s voices are high and they are especially difficult to hear.
• Explain it may be necessary to talk more slowly and take turns talking so only one person speaks at a time. Ask them to stand in front of the person and face him/her, because it is helpful.
• Aging changes reaction times and it takes longer to process information. Prepare the child for the need to give an older person time to answer.
• The sense of touch changes with age. Hands retain sensitivity to touch longer, so encour-age touching the hands.
• Bring several (not too many) larger photos to share. Photos with one or two people, with close images are best. A photo of a beloved home or location from the past are nice.

We hope these tips make for wonderful connections and memories for you!