Tracking apps for your parents? It’s a ‘great idea’, says counsellor
Constantly worrying about parents' health can impact mental health, so tracking can help reduce anxiety and allows adult children to ‘breathe easier’ while managing their own lives.
FILE: A good night's sleep is important. Picture: HVETS production via pexels
CapeTalk's Pippa Hudson speaks to Melissa Davids, a registered counsellor and a representative of The South African College of Applied Psychology.
Listen below:
It’s not uncommon for parents to install tracking apps on their children’s phones to monitor their movements when they leave the house.
But, as parents age, adult children often need to step into caregiving roles for elderly parents, or parents might want to keep track of adult kids' whereabouts for their safety using tracking apps.
Davids says using a tracking app is a 'great idea' for families.
"It's a good idea to use tracking apps, especially if you look at society today. I think families could benefit greatly from having access to these apps. I know families in a multi-generational household might have pushback from the older adults or younger ones, but it's something that most families can benefit from, if not all."
- Melissa Davids, Registered Counsellor
While pushback from stubborn teens, elderly parents or adult children is expected, it's all about how you communicate the use of tracking apps to them.
"The way we approach it is very important... I think if you come with the same approach you'll have with a teenager or pre-teen as you would with an adult, you won't get the same result. But if you approach it with an adult with respect and if you have clear communication and mutual understanding between one adult and the next... because if there's no mutual understanding or clear communication that feels like an instruction instead of a suggestion, then it could definitely push up some walls from that adult and immediately they go into a defensive state where they feel they have to defend their authority or their age..."
- Melissa Davids, Registered Counsellor
In situations where there's an elderly adult living in a care home, away from family on their own or with a mental health condition, it would help to have access to tracking apps because anything can trigger them, which can lead to them wandering off and going missing, says Davids.
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the full conversation.