estate planning law firm

Can You Believe Aging Parents Grow Stubborn and They Know It?

Planning for your Life, your Livelihood, your Legacy

Book an Initial Call
Aging parents grow stubborn
August 2, 2021 •  NW Estate Law, LLC
Aging parents grow stubborn, and researchers are uncovering the reasons why.

Studies show that adult children complain that their parents are stubborn and that the parents themselves admit this.

Considerable’s recent article entitled “Why are your aging parents so stubborn? Researchers think they have the answer” explains that as children become more involved, they may make suggestions for things that older adults might do to maintain their safety and well-being.

However, older adults see things differently, says a study of 189 aging parents with an adult child.

Researchers say a primary reason is differing goals of children and parents. An aging parent might want to exercise his independence, by walking to the store for groceries. However, his adult son may see it as risking a fall.

A study that asked 192 middle-aged adults to keep diaries of their parents’ behavior found that 75% of adult children and 66% of older parents reported that the parents acted stubbornly sometimes. Just 40% of children and 20% of parents said the stubborn behavior happened frequently.

A third reported stubborn behavior at least once, and about 20% reported risky behavior at least once in a seven-day period.

The studies wanted to distinguish the difference between stubbornness as a personality trait and as behavior that can be modified.

The research cautioned that such circumstances could harm the emotional well-being of the adult children and their relationships with their parents.

“As parents age, every day, some adult children encounter behaviors that are difficult to manage,” the second study said.

Children with good relationships with their parents reported less stubbornness and vice versa, as one might expect.

Children were more likely to report parental stubbornness, if the parents were disabled, and children were likely to say that fathers were more stubborn than mothers.

These tensions in families may have a “corrosive effect,” in the way in which adult children and their parents interact with one another over the long term, the researchers said.

Reference: Considerable (July 17, 2020) “Why are your aging parents so stubborn? Researchers think they have the answer”

Suggested Key Terms: Elder Law Attorney, Elder Care, Caregiving, Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease

Client Success Stories

Mount Hood Senior Solutions
February 7, 2022.
We value and appreciate all of their hard work. Always a pleasure to work with! Communicates effectively and in a timely manner. Highly recommend
Nicole Lu
December 7, 2020.
We used Meredith for our estate planning and cohabitation contract recently after we bought a house. She was very responsive, very Covid aware/safe and lovely to work with.
Daniel Lee
January 7, 2020.
We had a great experience working with Meredith when putting together our estate planning documentation. She was always professional and courteous, explaining legal concepts and terminology in a way that was straightforward for us to understand. Meredith was responsive and open to answering our questions so we could fully evaluate different options. She provided sound recommendations for us to consider based on our current position and point in life. Even given the gravity and importance of the estate planning process, Meredith put us at ease and made us feel comfortable coming to decisions and documenting outcomes that work best for us. We intend to work with Meredith for future needs that we may have, and would highly recommend working with her to others.
Floyd Frick
March 28, 2019.
The best! .... I used Meredith to get me thru an estate settlement. It went smooth. Thanks.
Christine Borchert
August 9, 2018.
Book an Initial Call
Book an Initial Call
Schedule an available time to speak with us. We look forward to meeting with you!
Book an Initial Call
Join Our eNewsletter
Stay Informed
Stay updated by subscribing to our informative eNewsletter!
Subscribe Now!
Beaverton, Oregon Office

1865 NW 169th Place, Suite 202
Beaverton, Oregon 97006

Vancouver, Washington Office

201 NE Park Plaza Drive, Suite 200
Vancouver, Washington 98684

Integrity Marketing Solutions - Estate Planning Marketing
Powered by
chevron-down