Verbal or non-verbal communication is absolutely vital for the promotion of wellbeing within the family. If you don’t know how someone is feeling then how can you help them should they need assistance?
Talk
From the moment of birth human beings learn how to communicate with one another, sometimes it’s only as people get older that it becomes more complex to try and understand the unspoken wishes that they may harbour.
Many people become ashamed of their mobility problems as they begin to age and do not wish to burden their families with their problems. This is the time to watch out for the unspoken signals as well as listen hard for a vocalised request.
If you notice that a grandparent is becoming a little unsteady on their legs then suggest that you both investigate the possibility of some assistance through a stairlift rental scheme. Aging is a natural process and if the whole family become involved in helping the grandparents, some of the fears associated with age can be minimised.
Generations
Intergenerational communication is always essential. Older people, who have taken part in local primary school schemes where they are invited to share their memories, have received a genuine benefit from these activities and the children find their lessons far more lively and interesting but listening is as important as talking.
Some people find it harder than others to express themselves so a little patience should always be employed. Communication can reduce argument. With a growing number of people leading increasingly busy lives it’s all too easy to forget that unless a family communicates then some problems may escalate and turn into argument rather than debate.
Grandparents often notice when a younger family member is troubled and their experience should be used as part of the solution, not seen as an added problem.
Novelty
Each generation often makes the mistake of thinking that their experiences are unique. They probably aren’t and it’s important to remember that anyone in their eighties had to deal with all the experiences of bombs and a World War as well as the rest of life’s daily rituals.
Some family members have better relationships with their grandparents on an individual basis, and this time is precious. It may be during these moments that any underlying problems can be revealed so everyone can work together to solve it.
communication is very important in my family as my son who is one of 5 children has an ASD and struggles with communication ,so we have become very good at talking, communicating , reading non verbal signals and most important of all listening ,it has made us stronger as a family .:)
Thank you for commenting, it must be hard for you as a family but it’s good to know that your family is able to pull together to make things work xx