Communication is key when dealing with aging parents

The goal of the research was not to identify whether individuals are "stubborn," but rather to understand perceptions of older parents and their adult children regarding such behavior. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. Headstrong elderly parents and their adult children may be able to find common ground with proper intervention, according to researchers in human development. Recent findings suggest that both adult children and their aging parents identify stubbornness in the parents, and that a new approach to conversation may be the answer. Aging parents may respond to advice or help with daily problems from their grown children by insisting, resisting, or persisting in their ways or opinions - being stubborn. Until now, research has not examined how frequently such behaviors occur and what factors are associated with these behaviors. Allison Heid, project director, New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine and recent Penn State Ph.D.