As our parents age, they may communicate with us less.

Their abilities to carry on a conversation, absorb information, and to understand may become diminished even if they don't suffer from Alzheimer's.

Here are 3 ways to help them focus better on what you are trying to say.

1. Talk to them lovingly.

Don't lose patience with them and don't remind them you've already had the same conversation moments before.

Don't speak harshly and talk slower so your parent can assimilate the information.

Speaking louder will not solve the problem if deafness is not the cause.

2. Give gentle reminders such as names, if your parent is having trouble remembering.

Don't laugh at gaffes.  This is something you need to remind teens and people outside your family who don't understand your parent's condition.

A wrong name or a silly statement may be  said and that shouldn't be an invitation to laugh.  Your parent's dignity and self worth may be damaged if that behavior is allowed.

3. Never force your parent to talk if she doesn't want to.

Keep communication simple and open-ended.  Your parent may be getting the impression you're testing her.  This will only make the situation worse.

Try to understand your parent's frustration.  She is trying to remember names and recall words which is a challenge.

Helping your aging  parents communicate better comes from being better prepared.  Knowing ahead of time what to expect and treating the elderly with kindness makes for a much better care giving experience.    

Popularity: 10% [?]

• Are You Showing Respect To Your Aging Parents? Are you showing the respect your aging parents deserve? Caring for them will teach new things about yourself. One of those things is that it takes courage to face the complicated issues of caregiving. Donna Cohen and Carl Eisdorfer have written a book, Seven Steps to Effective Parent Care, which......
• How to Prepare for An Emergency Room Visit With Your Aging Parents Are you ready for an emergency room visit with your aging parents? What is the most important thing you need to know before you have an emergency? According to an excellent article by Jimmy Mincin, taking the list of all your parent's medications is the most important information emergency room......
• Are You Making Difficult Elder Care Choices? Anne Newman of Business Week is facing her parents' move into assisted living. This is never easy. Anne is trying to reassure herself and her parents that it is the right decision. Her father is 90 and they do need extra help for daily life. In her article, Anne has......
• 5 Tips for Helping Your Aging Parents Manage Their Credit Cards Are your aging parents keeping up with their credit cards?Do they have more credit cards than they really need?Are they over-spending? Of course discussing such personal financial subjects with them may be difficult, but necessary.  Easy credit can also  be a problem for the elderly.  Here are 5 questions you need......
• 10 Tips for Preventing Falls  Falls are the leading cause of accidental deaths and serious injuries for aging seniors over 65.Facts are 30 percent of the people in this group will fall this year.  But it doesn't have to be like that.  Falls are not a natural part of aging.Not only are falls dangerous, but they are......

• Tips to Fix your Slice There are hundreds if not thousands of tips out there, especially on the internet, that are falsely promising to help you fix your slice, add distance to your swings, and add accuracy to your shots, lowering your scores in the process. Sometimes it is difficult to tell which of these......
• 50 Cent May Put Black Magic On Back Burner 'I am not sure it will be my next album,' rapper says.By Kyle Anderson 50 Cent Photo: Jorge Rosenberg/ Getty Images Since the release of his 2009 album Before I Self Destruct, 50 Cent has been traveling the world, playing shows and taking in new musical ideas. Along the way,......
• What is the Difference Between Blogging and Content Writing? Sometimes it seems like articles and blogs are so similar to one another in content that it can be difficult to tell what the difference is between these two types of written media. Blogs tend to have more leeway, and follow a completely different structure because they can be short......
• Job Scams - Criminals Are Working Harder Than Ever! It's a tough time for the United States economy, and unfortunately there are those out there looking to take advantage of people that already are barely making ends meet. While it's true that there are plenty opportunities to be had it's also important to be weary of fishy situations.......
• Poor Money Choices Ruined My Parents' Life [Below is a guest post from my wife. I had tried to get her to write this story for more than two years now. I imagine it was very difficult for her to write. The title is mine, which I thought was a little more catchy than "A history of......