Eldercare Therapist Tells Adult Children of Aging Parents How to Enrich Golden Years While Providing Enjoyable Activities and Pleasant Conversations in New Book
(I want to go to Lithuania, or)
HOW TO HAVE FUN WITH YOUR AGING PARENTS
A Step by Step Manual for Adults Who Love and Care for Older Adults
by
Christina Britton Conroy, M.A., C.M.T., L.C.A.T.
Illustrations by Larry Conroy
With an older population of 46.2 million* needing daily care and quality of life, adult children of aging family members have plenty of books that explain the financial, medical and nursing options to consider for their loved ones in their golden years, but there are few books or resources that discuss activities for the elderly and almost none that shows how to personalize an aging person’s preference for enjoying the years he or she has left.
Whether living in an assisted living facility or in their own home, children of aging parents (aunts, uncles, disabled persons) are looking for ways to determine and discuss the best activities and level of daily care for loved ones. It’s not an easy job, with many caregivers feeling frustrated about the decisions they make and the level of interactions they have with their parents and loved ones. Concise and often very funny, the illustrated book How To Have Fun with Your Aging Parents: A Step-by-Step Manual for Adults Who Love and Care for Older Adults by eldercare therapist Christina Britton Conroy, M.A., C.M.T., L.C.A.T. (Black Lyon Publishing; Paperback & eBook; Illustrated Drawings; In Store Date: June 15, 2017; ISBN-10: 1934912778/ISBN-13: 978-1934912775) helps caregivers bring joy and passion back into the lives of their aging loved ones. A quick read, Conroy provides excellent advice in a workbook format for caregivers to determine the best types of daily activities and care for their loved ones.
Working in senior centers and nursing homes led Conroy to classify aging adults into four “dysfunctional parent” categories which she includes in her book to help caregivers identify which parent type they are dealing with and then use the workbook aspect of the book to determine the best possible daily care and activity levels for their charge. These categories include:
• Stuck-in-a-rut: This is the old lady who only wants to get her hair done, watch soap operas, and play BINGO. Her adult son or daughter may believe she needs more excitement in her life.
• Self-isolating: A lot of older folks live alone. If most of their friends have died, the kids are grown and gone, they’re too frail to work, or even play the sports they always enjoyed, they may need to find new reasons for getting up in the morning. Some of these folks may suffer clinical depression and need serious medical attention.
• Dangerously Independent: This is the person who is very old, half-blind, deaf and lame, but still insists on doing everything by his/herself and won’t let anyone help.
• Unreasonably Demanding: This is the type of person where anything you do is never enough. This person hates feeling useless, so he/she yells, complains and seems annoyed with everything you do or try to do. Day after day you are frustrated.
Filled with personal stories about dealing with her own father as well as funny and endearing stories about the numerous aging adults in her care throughout her career, Christina Britton Conroy explains in detail these crucial items for your parents during their elder years:
• A Gift With A Downside: Old Age
• Defining Your Relationship to Your Parent
• Deciding What Your Parent Needs vs. Wants
• Discovering What Your Parent Enjoys
• Drum Talk – A Communications Game for Parents & Children
• New Hobbies Reviving Old Passions
• Telling Your Parent Compassionate Lies
• Simple Coping Tools
• Enjoying Today and the Future
• And so much more …
Christina Britton Conroy, M.A., C.M.T., L.C.A.T.
As a Certified Music Therapist and Licensed Creative Arts Therapist for over 20 years, Christina has enriched the lives of adults, elders, their families, and caregivers. She has helped frustrated, unhappy individuals deal with physical and emotional loss caused by age-related diseases, accidents, and self-abuse. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of Music Gives Life. Most of her musical Show Stoppers, ages 60-101 with an average age of 84, never touched a musical instrument, or sang into a microphone before joining Christina’s program. NY1 – TV NEWS named them “NYers Of The Week.” (I Want To Go To Lithuania, or) How To Have Fun With Your Aging Parents, her step-by-step, hands-on manual for adults who love and care for older adults, will be available fall 2017 from Black Lyon Publishing. Christina lives in Greenwich Village, NYC with her husband, actor/illustrator Larry Conroy.
(I Want To Go To Lithuania, or) How To Have Fun With Your Aging Parents
By Christina Britton Conroy, M.A., C.M.T., L.C.A.T.
Black Lyon Publishing; June 15, 2017; Paperback & eBook; ISBN-10: 1934912778/ISBN-13: 978-1934912775
*https://aoa.acl.gov/Aging_Statistics/index.aspx
