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Excellent point, thumper. I work with seniors. This is often a very effective argument to make with seniors - that refusing to take meds, see a doctor, move out of a home they can’t manage any longer, wear a medic alert bracelet, get a cell phone, accept in-home help - these things create significant problems for their kids. </p>
<p>Of course some seniors have always been self-centered, and some have experienced age-related cognitive changes that make it difficult for them to think of the needs of others. But many times, a senior will finally address an issue when their children have a calm talk with them about how the senior’s refusal to make changes affects their own lives. And more than once I’ve seen the senior listen better to a son-in-law or daughter-in-law than to their own children.</p>