Elder abuse is something I don’t like to think about. It’s a tough subject to write about. But, each of us needs to raise our level of awareness so we can protect our aging parents. Elder abuse can take many forms. When I hear the term, I think about physical abuse and neglect of the elderly by hired employees in a nursing home. But, it encompasses so much more. The National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) lists these other forms: emotional or psychological abuse; verbal abuse and threats; financial abuse and exploitation, sexual abuse, and abandonment. It can happen anywhere: nursing home, private home and other institutions. Surprisingly, it affects the elderly across all socio-economic classes. Dementia is an especially strong risk factor.

This particular article focuses on Elder financial abuse. The elderly can be financially abused by mail fraud, phone fraud, business fraud and stealing by a family member or hired caregiver, or visitor. Today, I heard yet another instance of a trusted caregiver stealing a large sum of money, $20,000, from an elderly man.

Here are some key ways we can prevent financial abuse from happening to our elderly loved ones.

• Stay in frequent contact with elderly relatives, and keep lines of communication open.
• Be observant and perceptive about any physical or behavioral change.
• Choose any caregiver carefully. Never select one through an ad. Use a licensed, bonded agency. Hire an investigator to ensure the potential caregiver is not a convicted felon.
• Keep a photographed inventory of all jewelry in a locked box.
• Use a criss-cross shredder on any paperwork containing identifying information.
• Protect incoming and outgoing mail. Getting a Post Office box is a good preventive measure.
• Obtain a credit search for your parent 2-3 times a year.
• Have Caller Id on the phone. Teach your parents to not answer “unknown” or “out of area”. Tell them that scam artists use the phone as a weapon, and it is OK to hang up on someone.
• Tell them “You will NEVER win a foreign lottery”.
• Have a duplicate copy of their banking account statements sent to a trusted family member.
• Tell them to not assume a handyman is to be trusted, even if he has a wonderful name and is charming. Check the Better Business Bureau and state licensing. Always get 3 estimates. Obtain a written contract. And, never pay more than 10% or $1,000 up-front, whichever is less.
• Have a second line of defense at their front door (a peephole or locked screen door).

Report any suspected mistreatment immediately. Contact the Helpline for your state at http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/NCEAroot/Main_Site/Find_Help/State_Resources.aspx

One of the needs for a single-parent family is day care to look after the children while the parent is earning a living. Unfortunately day care is very expensive and may cost as much per day as the parent earns or more. One solution is to turn to relatives to look after the children. But what happens if relatives live too far away or are unable to assist due to some other factor? Then recourse must be had to single parent child care assistance.

A group of single parents may come to an arrangement whereby one of the parents looks after the children for the group, in return for a share of the earnings of the others. This option has serious legal implications; especially in terms of liability should a child be injured as well as the quality of care that might be provided. It might also infringe licensing regulations and the costs of meeting all licensing needs for a day care centre might be beyond the financial reach of the group.

However this need has been widely recognized and there are several schemes providing day care for parents in need. One of the most convenient options might be your local church. Many local churches provide either free or very affordable single parent child care assistance. If you are a member of a church this may be your preferred option.

For those in the New York area, the Head Start offers an excellent service, including a school readiness program. Eligibility would be based on family size and gross income. Qualified staff help with physical, social and emotional development.

There are Federal grants available for single parent child care assistance, as well as other needs you might have. The local offices of Health and Human Services can provide advice, application forms and will arrange a meeting with a social worker. Anyone considering this option should look at all that is available in the way of food and other benefits to those who are eligible, not just the child care aspect. These grants can provide very substantial assistance. Try grants.gov to see what grants are on offer.

Your State will also have assistance programs and may offer grants or other forms of single parent child care assistance.

Remember unlike loans, grants are available even or maybe especially to those with bad financial records, as they are most in need of assistance. They also do not need to be paid back.

It would be worthwhile to look at benefits.gov as an individual may qualify for other benefits as well.

Many companies provide assistance with child care, due to the increasing numbers of workers who require such assistance and also a rise in social awareness and better social responsibility. If the employer does provide such assistance, this can be a very convenient and good quality option. Your local social welfare worker may be able to advise of other private assisted care facilities available.

It is important not to be embarrassed or ashamed of asking for assistance. The welfare of children and the future of the country are far too important to be held back by such emotional issues. Anyone requiring single parent child care assistance should not hesitate to take advantage of any opportunity available. No one should be forced to endure grinding poverty and helplessness when there is help available and our children deserve it.

As a parent, one of our biggest responsibilities to our children is to love them unconditionally and to tell them that we love them everyday. My youngest son told me recently that he thinks I am the best mom in the whole wide world because I don’t yell at or argue with him like other mothers do and I tell him and his brother I love them everyday. I felt so honored because I love my two sons unconditionally and with all my heart and he understands and knows that. Do you love your children unconditionally and tell them daily?

I was watching a popular morning program and a mother was talking about her deceased daughter and her love for her daughter. She told her daughter every opportunity that she loved her and that was her last words to her. It must be a tremendous comfort that the mother had told her daughter before her death that she loved her and the daughter knew it. The biggest boost we can give our children to let them know that they are loved unconditionally. It is easy to say I love you. We love so many things. Does these saying sounds familiar, I love coffee, I love my job, I love my pet, I love—-fill in the blank. Now that you know that we use the “love” word loosely, when you say you love your children, do you show it?

Not only does my son know that I love him, I justified it by my actions. He said that I do not yell or fuss at him and his brother like other mothers. Yes, I do discipline them and teach them manners and how to conduct themselves at home and out in public. However, I do it in a loving and caring way in which they can receive what I am teaching them. I am astonished when I am in public and I see parents yelling and fussing at their children. I do think to myself, that is not showing your children love and that you care. We may say it to our children but our actions speak louder than words.

We are bombarded with so much in our daily lives and get frustrated, angry, upset and even disappointed. However, when we are at home in the presence of our family and children, what we have experienced throughout the day should not affect your relationship in a negative way with our family and children. We project our anger and frustration out on our children and they were not the reason in the first place why we feel that way. Is it fair that the ones you love and should show love to are the ones that you take out your negative feelings on? No it is not fair. Our children are our most precious resources and the more positive emotions you show them the more developed they become to be productive and successful adults. The more negative emotions you show them, the more issues they will have as adults.

It is no secret that the relationship a parent has with their children has a direct relationship with their emotions. As a child, I longed for my parents’ love but seldom received. I was not told as a child that I was loved and I yearned for those three words, I love you, from my mother and father. As an adult in a relationship, I want and need to be told that he loves me constantly. As a parent, I want my boys to know every day that I love them unconditionally. I constantly tell them that I love them. What I missed as a child I am getting as an adult and I’m not letting a day go by without telling my boys I love them.

Take the opportunity today to tell your children that you love them. Make it a practice every day to tell them you love them. It is even more important that your actions speak love to your children.

Quick…what song won an Academy Award for best Song of the Year in 1959?

If you know that piece of trivia, congratulations! It was the song, High Hopes in the movie, Hole in the Head (not the most famous movie, I admit). The song became more poplar after Frank Sinatra recorded it in 1961.

In the wake of today’s turbulence, the lyrics seem banal:

Next time you’re found, with your chin on the ground,

There a lot to be learned, so look a – round.

Just what makes that little old ant

Think he’ll move that rubber tree plant?

Anyone knows an ant can’t move a rubber tree plant,

But he’s got high hopes, he’s got high hopes…

And ant probably can’t move a rubber tree plant by itself, but if it kept hopeful enough, it’s probability of success increases, because with a hopeful attitude, inspiration has a place to strike. And with hope, resiliency reigns. Without it, despair can paralyze and slow down effective solutions to a standstill.

High hopes may seem like a myth when we look around today at all the suffering, de-fragmentation, unhappiness, and outright fear, terror, and paranoia. Yet, brain research continues to amass data that hopeful people are more effective problem solvers. What’s more, it is very clear that what we pay attention to grows. And conversely, what we fail to give our attention to, shrinks. If we focus on our hope, our hope grows. If we are awash in despair…well, that, of course, washes out our hope.

Are we seeing our son’s strengths or are we overwhelmed by his lack of motivation? If we don’t pay attention to his strengths, those surely won’t grow and the “problem” of motivation will surely increase. Are we noticing our daughter’s thoughtfulness or do we always comment on her grumpiness? That’s the way to make the grumpiness grow. The human brain isn’t a whimsical device that acts randomly. No, it acts according to a finely-tuned set of principles. And one of those major principles is that the focus of our attention span, to a large degree, creates the reality we experience. This is not New Age mumbo jumbo, although new-agers have capitalized on this fascinating aspect of our brain’s operating system. There has been much academic research on the subject. In fact, Appreciative Inquiry, one of the cornerstones of the PCI coaching model is a process methodology that stems from this research. Appreciative Inquiry itself has been researched to work powerfully because it applies strategies with the human brain’s propensities in mind.

The fact is hope will increase, if we pay attention to hopeful occurrences. Pretty soon, there are more hopeful things to talk about and our talk is filled with more hope. With more hope in front of us, we spot it in others and in our world more often and more quickly. Before we know it, the negative things are shrinking from lack of attention and the positives have increased-almost as if by magic! Of course, then we become more hopeful…the upward spiral continues…more good things happen.

Our world challenges us greatly to shift our attention to the hopeful, to what brings and enhances life. And I believe it affects our parenting profoundly. How can we stay focused on hope, on the positive, and on what is working in our daily lives with our children?

Here are five considerations for hopeful parenting in troubling times.

In his research, CR Synder (The Psychology of Hope, The Free Press, 1994) found these important indicators:

1. Hopeful parents know how to get what they want. They are determined and enjoy being enterprising and flexible, especially during difficult times. Determination can be found in having a clear vision of what we want for our children and our families. Determination means having the mental energy and the physical stamina to stay with a challenge long enough for an effective solution to transpire. If we give up, we can be sure to be defeated. Your self-care goes a long way to helping you stay determined when the going gets rough. Pay attention to the signs of when you feel like giving up. Instead think of what you can give to yourself and to your children that will focus on your internal strengths and enhance your perseverance.

2. Hopeful parents listen well. Listening and paying close attention to our children’s strengths increases our flexibility to change courses if our parenting strategy is not getting the results that we seek. Often we can learn from our kids what is needed once we follow our instincts and answer this question from our integrity: What will bring more life to this situation? As we observe our children from this perspective, we may find ourselves suddenly noticing lots of things that we can do to give them a sense of accomplishment, so they appreciate their talents in the moment and look forward to their future with hope.

3. The children view hopeful parents as successful. It seems that hopeful parents demonstrate their autonomy by feeling successful. This definition of success is not the definition that seems to be the one our world cares about-big house, big car, lots of money, etc. Rather success is measured as “Having a high self-esteem and positive images of themselves.” This affects children on many levels-positive parents with high self-esteem grow hopeful, happy, and confident children with high self-esteem!

4. Hopeful parents comfort well. When things get worrisome or really tough, hopeful parents comfort the children and act in supportive ways during high-stress situations. Being there emotionally is a characteristic of parents who are more hopeful. They do not let negative energies affect their ability to be present and available to their children. They are able to keep negativity at bay so that the children don’t translate it as: “There’s no time for me.” Parents laden with anxiety cannot be receptive to children’s emotional needs. Hopeful parents instill trust and openness in the parent-child communication process, keeping those doors open, even during adolescence!

5. Hopeful parents support children’s autonomy and competence. This does not mean anything goes. What is does mean is that by focusing on what the child does well every day, over time, the parent builds a strong sense of self in the child. With that comes the conviction in the child of his/her talents and skills. In the words of one of the children in Synder’s research: “The biggest thing I remember about my parents is that they taught me to do things for myself. But, I always knew they were there for me if I got in a jam…If I did foul up something, they would talk with me and not at me.”

It seems that the bottom-line for high-hopes parenting is that it can help keep us our best selves, even during difficult times, and bring out the best in our children.

Then anything is possible… for us, our children…even our world.

Copyright Gloria DeGaetano, 2010. All Rights Reserved.

It is rather common for children to hurt themselves while they are at school. They might take a tumble in gym class or hurt themselves while they are out playing at recess. In all cases the parents will need to be notified, but is important to remain calm and make sure that the parent stays calm when they find out that their child has been injured. The following tips will help teachers deal with notifying a parent that their child has been injured at school.

1. When dealing with children, the first step is to be prepared for an accident or injury before it ever happens. Make sure you have contact information readily available so that a parent can be notified as soon as an accident happens. Make sure your emergency files are up to date.

2. If your class is outside at recess or on a field trip, use teacher lanyards for carrying contact information. A class roster with parents’ names and numbers can be folded and kept in a clear plastic name badge when away from the classroom. This will prevent you from having to return to the classroom for contact information. You place a call from the nearest phone.

3. When you call the parent speak calmly. If the injury is minor, start off by reassuring them that their child is fine and that there was a minor accident at school. Explain to the parent what happened to cause the accident and tell them what was done to treat the child. Were they bandaged? Taken to the school nurse?

4. Clearly explain the extent of the injury and let them know whether or not the child needs to be picked up from school. If the child will stay at school, clearly explain the extent of the injury and let the parents know what to expect when they pick up their child at the end of the day. Do you think there will be a scab? A bruise?

5. Do not lie to the parents. If an accident is serious give them as much information as possible and let them know who is overseeing the child’s care. Offer to have the school nurse speak to the parent and let the parent know where the child will be when he or she comes to pick their son or daughter up from school.

6. Let the parent and child speak to each other on the phone if it is possible. This will help both of them to feel better, and it will help to reassure the child as well. Many times children will have exaggerated reactions to an injury because their mother or father is not around to comfort them.

By following these tips you can help to calm the parent of an injured child and make sure that a small problem does not cause unwarranted stress or anxiety for the parent or the child who has been trusted to your care.

Nowadays, most parents need to reconcile with the condition of living apart (because of working outside their home country) while craving connection with their loved ones. They are synthesizing the best possible efforts and ideas in order to provide food, shelter, education, and love for their children.

Time will always challenge your flexibility. Wise decisions will make a difference in your lives. Your choice of work comes with big responsibilities and with great privileges, which sometimes puts you apart from your loved ones. Working overseas is seeking greener pastures, and you bravely adapt to the new condition of the new place. It is hard to accept living outside your home country, and being apart with your loved ones is psychologically disturbing not only for the parents, but most especially to a child. However, be grateful that you are now living in computer era and everything is just a click away to send message and video call, and enjoy the pleasure of chatting while doing other tasks. Outside your home, iPhone 3GS will bridge that gap. However, did you ask yourself how to afford quality time with your child to relieve loneliness that he is getting while you are away? How to build that close personal relationship between a parent and a child on a distant communication is through personal experience that you could improve as time goes by.

Availability. It is important that you let your child feel your presence most of the time. It is your everyday tasks to video call him and to ask him as to what has transpired during the day. Your child will be able to build trust and confidence to speak out his feelings. In asking, your child could explore the will to think rationally. Your presence can mean so much for him that he can be proud to tell this to other children.

Visualization. The power of your mind puts you in control, thus your child will open up his awareness to the things communicated. Online storytelling would be such fun to let him share what he understand about the story that would eventually spark an open dialogue between a parent and a child. Allow your child to share also his naive story, and praise for his wonderful narration. It is helping your child on how to communicate and share his feelings. In visualization, it helps to prolong conversation, thus making it more exciting for your child to create his own story out of his visual perception. Listening on your part is a great role as a parent.

Making Fun. Spice things up when you make an online call to your child. A child will never run out of game plan to lay down, and he wants to capture every bit of utmost joy. If he wants to pretend as superhero, let him feel the excitement. If he insists of typing his name into the computer, you just let him do it, and praise a work done by sending him some emoticons like a star, a smiley face, or a heart. There are webcams to jazz up your video image into animation where your child could initiate a fairy talk. Be interested in making your child’s world more fascinating and fun-loving moments.

Tour and Invite. Using your webcam or mobile phone, you can tour him around into your place and let him see your bedroom, television, cabinet, and other things–so he would also know that you are living well. You can also show to him his pictures that you are bringing and keeping all the time, and tell how you well-loved and treasured it. It is more riveting, if you will promise that you are going to get him and having him live with you.

Bidding Goodbye. The sad part of conversation is the time for farewell. Let your child feel that it is not parting ways, but just for a bedtime routine and need to rest, a full-length read of a bedtime story would complete your child’s evening, and before signing out, you extend your arms, as if reaching your child for an embrace. Forming your hands into a heart shape is an additional way of bidding goodbye. Last thing, tell that you love him, and always ensure that you will see him again.

Being a foster parent can be one of the most rewarding experiences that life has to offer – with so many children in care that need a loving and nurturing environment to flourish in, it is not surprising that it is a choice many couples and single people are now making.

There is a lot of information available on the ups and downs of becoming a foster parent, and it is definitely not a decision that should be taken lightly, no matter how enthusiastic or motivated the potential carers are. Here are some things to take into consideration before making this major commitment.

The first thing to take into account is how your own home and family can support a foster child, or even several if they are in sibling groups. Depending on your state or country there are many restrictions on becoming a foster parent, so there are likely to be guidelines that you must adhere to in family and home life; do your research in order to know if your environment is a suitable one.

If you have children of your own, you will need to be aware that the family dynamic can be greatly affected by welcoming a foster child into the home. If you are part of couple, understand that your relationship will also likely be affected, so prepare to have many discussions about how the family as a whole will deal with you becoming a foster parent.

It is also necessary to consider the skills necessary to be a successful foster parent. Patience, the ability to provide structure and having a lot of love and time to give are very important, although every good foster care agency will provide you with appropriate training and support to help you build on your skills and develop new ones which will help you fulfil your role as best as possible.

When becoming a foster parent – especially if you are single and don’t have a partner to share your responsibilities-it is important to have a strong support system in place.Being a foster carer can be very stressful at times, especially when dealing with difficult behaviour. Agencies often provide their own support groups so you can connect with others going through the same thing as you.

Another key skill to have when thinking of becoming a foster parent is the ability to communicate well. This is not only limited to communicating effectively with a foster child or children; you will also need to be able to deal with social workers, therapists, the birth family, other parents and even judges and court personnel.

Again, a good foster care agency can provide training in this area, but it is important that you have existing skills in the area to be accepted as a foster carer. You will also need to know how to work well with others in order to tailor the best care for the child, attend regular meetings and work with the birth family to help all parties involved.

One other significant point that anyone considering becoming a foster parent must consider is if they can successfully manage the often challenging behaviours of many children in care. It is important to remember that many have suffered from terrible physical, mental and even sexual abuse, meaning they need to be treated with a very special level of love, care and attention.

Becoming a foster parent is a major decision to make, and many can question whether they have the skills and ability to meet the demands of the role. You will find, however, that the support for anyone taking this step is enormous, with fostering agencies providing you with all you need to succeed in your role as a carer.

If you think you can meet the demands of being a foster carer and have the skill set to rise to challenges it will inevitably present, then a good foster agency will be able to guide you on taking your very first step towards helping a child in care overcome the setbacks they have experienced in their life and move forward to a future filled with the love and support everyone deserves.

All children need a safe and stable family in which to grow. For many children who have been abused and neglected, this may mean a foster family. There are thousands of children placed in foster care every year. Many of these children become available for adoption. There is a great demand and need for foster parents that are willing to open their hearts and homes to children with a variety of needs Could you be the person to make a change in a child’s life?

What is foster care?

Foster care is temporary care for children who cannot stay at home with their parents due to various family circumstances. Children remain in foster care until it is determined by the court or child protection professional that it is safe for the child to return to their home. Most children are reunited with their families.

How is fostering similar to parenting your own child?

Foster parents:

• Provide daily care and supervision to the children placed in their home
• Provide the child’s basic physical and emotional needs
• Provide structure, rules, discipline; and teach values, as well as self- direction
• Model appropriate parent/child relationships

How is fostering different from parenting your own child?

Foster parenting:

• Means accepting children on a variety of developmental levels that may not match the child’s chronological age
• Means accepting that there may be limited time to work with or care for a child before the child returns home to their birth family
• Is also different by having agency involvement and working as a team to achieve goals for the child
• Is different due to you having more responsibilities to the child than legal rights to the child
• May involve allowing children to maintain contact with their primary family or parents through visitation or other means of communication

How is fostering similar to a job?

Foster parents:

• Have distinct duties and responsibilities
• Are held accountable and can be terminated due to poor job performance
• Work with other professionals in their community
• Keep records and documentation
• Maintain confidentiality and personal integrity
• Receive reimbursement for the time and care they provide to a child

How is fostering different than a job?

• Fostering involves the entire family or household to provide warmth, understanding and commitment
• Fostering involves being on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• Fostering requires a high level of autonomy
• Fostering sometimes takes a great deal of time to see the results of your hard work and effort

As a foster parent…

• You may be married, single or divorced
• You may have other children in your home
• You must be at least 21 years of age
• You can be straight, gay or lesbian You can rent or own your home or apartment
• You will receive training to help you parent children who have been separated from their birth families
• You will receive financial assistance to help meet your child’s daily living expenses

Are you ready to become a foster parent?

• Do you have enough room to accommodate another person in your household?
• Are you physically and emotionally capable of caring for children?
• Is your police background check free from crime, such as drug involvement, child abuse or violence?
• Do you have income adequate and stable enough to meet your current family’s needs?
• Are you willing to have a safety inspection completed of your home, and are you willing to complete the home study process?
• Are you willing to attend a mandatory 36-hour pre-service training that prepares you for foster parenting?
• Will you attend mandatory ongoing training to maintain your foster parent license?

Maintaining good health is vastly more important and effective than later treating illness. Good health takes effort: regular exercise, a healthy lifestyle, wearing seat belts, not smoking, and not abusing alcohol and drugs; in other words, doing the “good stuff,” and avoiding the “bad stuff.”

Likewise, raising healthy children is vastly more important and effective than later correcting misbehavior. It takes effort and commitment to nurture the “good stuff”-loving connections, empathy, meeting their needs. Unfortunately, most of the parenting books of the last two generations have focused on correcting misbehavior and fixing problems.

Positive parents work to develop the “good stuff.” They build trust and competence; identify and encourage strengths and talents, maintain loving connections, and create fun, joy, and happiness. In a nutshell: positive parents teach, comfort, and play.

When moms and dads (and other adults who care for kids) address their own personal development along with the development of the children, everyone learns and grows. Caring adults can prevent isolation, fear and anxiety, as well as anti-social, self-destructive, and violent behaviors.

Building a family is like building a house. You start with a vision and plans. Then, you build a firm foundation. Step by step, you move forward. If any steps are missed, there’s make-up work to be done, which is harder than doing it “right” from the start. With parenting, we cannot turn back the clock. We must start right now, right where we are to do the right thing.

“The Big Picture”
Positive parenting begins with “the big picture.” Remember the optimistic vision you had when you started your family. Write it down. Embroider it and frame it, or simply put it somewhere where you will notice it every day. Parents who have shared their goals with me say that they want their children to:

• “be happy and well-adjusted,”
• “be successful,”
• “be themselves while contributing to the world,”
• “be open and give back to the world,”
• “have high self-esteem and self-worth,”
• “be healthy-in body, mind, and spirit”
• “love learning,”
• “be respectful and loving,”
• “be able to express themselves,”
• “be respectful and caring of nature,” and most important:

“not have to spend their adult life recovering from their childhood.”

Clarify your vision. It gives meaning and purpose to your life. It can guide everything that happens on a day-by-day basis, and sustain you through the tough times. All those “little things” you do contribute to the success of the “big picture” goal.

The early years of feeding, washing, dressing, driving, and otherwise engaging with children present enormous opportunities. Make the most of this time in order to ensure a positive life trajectory for your youngsters.

“When things go right early on, they will tend to continue to go right and even to self-correct if there are minor problems.
But when they go wrong at first, they will tend to continue to go wrong.”
-Dr. Bruce Perry, author and renowned child psychiatrist

The Process

How we raise our children is to a large extent based on how we were raised-what comes “naturally”.
We have all been wounded, and want it to be better for our own children. We can stop the unintentional repetition of harmful patterns from one generation to the next by learning positive parenting.
“Let’s raise our children so they won’t have to recover from their childhood.”
-Pam Leo, author of Connection Parenting

Positive parenting invites us to examine our own upbringing. It requires rewriting the old fear-based “script” we learned during our early years and developing a new love-based approach. This takes determination and patience. When learning positive interaction tools and skills and developing a different style, we can heal our hearts and souls in the process.

Changing family patterns is heroic work! Those who suffered in childhood can still become wonderful parents to their children. They are Renaissance Moms and Renaissance Dads!

Positive parenting is a pro-active, uplifting approach based on respect and responsibility. It uses non-punitive discipline by teaching and holding children accountable with kindness and firmness. Uplifting, loving adults bolster inner strength, resilience, self-esteem, and social and emotional well-being. They bring out the best in everyone!

The Payoff

These are a few of the rewards you will get from practicing positive parenting:
Caring, cooperative, confident, and resilient children.
Deeper connections based on trust and communication.
More satisfaction and fun in the good times, and support during the hard times.
Pride and gratitude as children grow and flourish.

There is no better feeling than knowing you have raised a healthy family that will forever be connected at the heart.

Many people find the decision of relocating their parents into a nursing home to be difficult and emotional. It is important to understand the reasons for parents living in centers for the aging because, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than half of the adults older than age 65 require some form of long-term care in their lives.

Lack of Caregivers

Many aging parents find it difficult to live alone. In addition, their families may not be able to move into their homes with them, and the cost of hiring a caregiver may not be affordable. Aging parents that are unable to drive or leave their homes unassisted may find it difficult to pick up medications and groceries.

Cognitive Problems

Placing your aging parent in a nursing home may be a great option, especially if they have cognitive problems such as dementia, memory loss, confusion, disorientation, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Daily Activities

Many elderly individuals need assistance with various daily physical activities. This may include bathing, eating, dressing, and caring for incontinent episodes.

Temporary Placement

Placing your parent in a center for the aging is a temporary solution, especially if the parent is recovering from surgery or a sudden illness. This offers your parent enough time to mentally and physically rehabilitate to the point that he can return home.

Around the Clock Care

The most notable advantage of placing a loved one in an elderly facility is that it provides them with an opportunity to get continual care on a 24/7 basis. This type of care may be practically impossible to provide at home. Caring for an elderly person requires a high level of attentiveness, which means that the caregiver in the family never gets a real break. Elderly centers have trained health workers who monitor and provide care and intervention to help your loved one.

Advantages to the Family

Placing your parent in an elderly facility gives you the peace of mind of knowing that your parent is in a safe and reputable place where he is fed and given medications on time. This allows you and your family to return to a normal life. In addition, if the elderly facility is near your place of residence, you can make regular or daily visits to maximize your time spent with your parents.

Social Advantages

Elderly centers provide many options for aging residents who are able to participate. These centers provide families with the opportunities to do crafts, play bridge, attend concerts, and play games with their aging parents without having to leave the facilities. Some elderly centers even have swimming pools to allow their residents to swim whenever possible.

It is important to consider placing your parent in a nursing home when he requires more care than you can provide. However, it is important to do your homework before placing your parent in an elderly facility to ensure that it will be a positive move. Although you may not spend many hours together, the time you spend together will be of better quality.