Resistance to Care

Resistance to Care

Almost everyone has some resistance to the idea that they might need assistance with personal care and other caregiving supports. Those that need help the most, especially those with dementia, cognitive decline or paranoia, are often the most resistant to care and require a delicate approach to build trust. For individuals who are very resistant to having help, it is crucial to begin with the right approach. Most people are more accepting of help for their home and housekeeping or with low intrusion support. Some services that are easier to start with:

• Weekly Homemaking
• Caregiver Phone Calls
• Weekly Vitals with a Nurse

• Continuity, especially at the beginning of service, is critically important to acceptance and trust building with people who are quick to refuse help.
• When starting out, if there is a short absence and no known caregiver available it may be better to cancel than to try to introduce someone new.
• Starting with a care provider who sends different people each week can entrench resistance to care, delay the help being accepted and make it harder for the next care provider to establish trust.

Resistance to care seems to be one of the most common characteristics we share as humans!

• Starting slow with one or a few visits each week and 1-2 Caregivers. The team can be expanded once the first Caregiver(s) have been accepted and built trust.
• Consider starting with a different low-intrusion service like homemaking, caregiver phone calls or weekly nursing visits for vitals.
• Before trust is established it is better to cancel a service than introduce a new person.
• The first accepted Caregiver learns the approach that works and shares that info to encourage success for the next Caregiver.
• Once a few Caregivers have been introduced and the initial resistance is overcome it gets much easier to introduce more Caregivers if service needs increase.
• Gentle Approach! Being told what to do is a common trigger for aggression and refusal.