Recommendation #3

I can already tell that one of the biggest challenges I’ll face when helping my aging parents is giving them the proper space I’m sure they’ll want. Like Professor Liberman said, “One of the greatest frustrations of an aging parent is the loss of mobility and the freedom to do what they want when they want to do it.” Both of my parents are extremely stubborn people and I can already tell my brothers and I are in for a treat when dealing with them in their older age. Unlike my mom, my dad would rather be out on the golf course or working out all day rather than sitting around the couch and reading all day. My mother on the other hand is completely ok with knocking out 2 to 3 books a week on the couch. I know that if or when my dad loses that ability to golf and work out every day, we’re all in for some trouble. I can see myself being so worried for his sake due to his inability to do what he loves and suffocating him with my presence and my trying to help. It’s good to hear it now that I shouldn’t do so and I should still leave some of the basic functions of life to him to accomplish if he can do so. Another thing that might pose a problem with their increasing age is the fact that my brothers and I will have to do things for them. My parents are the kind of people that like to do or figure things out themselves. Even nowadays when we are learning a new board game as a family or they’re trying to figure out a new function on a piece of technology, they would rather figure out the directions on their own and relay them to everyone else instead of asking for help. So I wonder how they will handle it if/when they lose that ability to figure out and do things on their own and rely on my brothers and me for help. But like Professor Liberman said, it is important to give them their space if they want it and can continue to do so on their own.