write about yourself and your family in about 80-100 words
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As the youngest son of an 81-year-old father and a mother in her 70s, Steve Zahn has been worrying about his aging parents‘ health for a long time. A personal trainer in St. Paul, Minn., he’s been trying for years to wean them from the processed food that dominates their diets, while urging them to get some exercise.
It hasn’t been easy. Since his 20s, Zahn, 34, traveled regularly to visit his parents 300 miles away in Campbellsport, Wis. Once there, he’d cook a healthy meal, monitor his parents’ various ailments and lament his inability to convince them to change their ways.
“When I became a trainer, I would give them suggestions all the time – advice that many of my clients pay for – and all it seemed to do at first was to alienate them,” says Zahn. Eventually, Zahn backed off, but he says it’s still hard to know where to draw the line between helping, pleading and nagging.
Like an increasing number of 30- and 40-somethings who understand the value of a healthy lifestyle, Zahn faces the daunting challenge of attempting to educate and influence aging parents who may have never given much thought to diet or exercise. Particularly for those of us who are nursing a realistic fear that the care of our less-than-vital parents will someday become our responsibility, the investment we make in our parents’ well-being may be as great – or even greater – than the investment we make in our own health.
The specter of caring for aging parents who are not actively caring for themselves can create a complex and sticky dynamic that can test the bonds of even the most loving family and saddle adult children with high levels of frustration and anxiety. Yet, many experts say, a commitment to realistic expectations, clear boundaries and a respectful approach can not only help us try to improve our parents’ quality of life, it can also reduce stress in our own lives by clarifying what we can – and cannot – control
i think it would be helpful
It hasn’t been easy. Since his 20s, Zahn, 34, traveled regularly to visit his parents 300 miles away in Campbellsport, Wis. Once there, he’d cook a healthy meal, monitor his parents’ various ailments and lament his inability to convince them to change their ways.
“When I became a trainer, I would give them suggestions all the time – advice that many of my clients pay for – and all it seemed to do at first was to alienate them,” says Zahn. Eventually, Zahn backed off, but he says it’s still hard to know where to draw the line between helping, pleading and nagging.
Like an increasing number of 30- and 40-somethings who understand the value of a healthy lifestyle, Zahn faces the daunting challenge of attempting to educate and influence aging parents who may have never given much thought to diet or exercise. Particularly for those of us who are nursing a realistic fear that the care of our less-than-vital parents will someday become our responsibility, the investment we make in our parents’ well-being may be as great – or even greater – than the investment we make in our own health.
The specter of caring for aging parents who are not actively caring for themselves can create a complex and sticky dynamic that can test the bonds of even the most loving family and saddle adult children with high levels of frustration and anxiety. Yet, many experts say, a commitment to realistic expectations, clear boundaries and a respectful approach can not only help us try to improve our parents’ quality of life, it can also reduce stress in our own lives by clarifying what we can – and cannot – control
i think it would be helpful
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