Listening is a skill, and not one that is always applied by adult children when it comes to their elderly parents.

Have you ever phoned your elderly parent and been busy checking emails, making notes for your next meeting or wished that they would talk about something interesting? When you have a busy life, your parents' lives can seem a world away but what is happening in their world is important to them. Sometimes, they just want to have you all to themselves even for a few minutes, to talk about the latest movie they have seen or ask about the grandchildren. Other times they may have something very important to discuss, such as their financial situation or declining health. They love you and they want you to listen. Most times we, the adult children, don't realise that they need us and assume that all is going well because they don't say anything different - or do they try to tell us but we are too busy to listen? At Christmas time especially, it is important to take the time to sit with elderly parents and really listen. You've heard the old stories dozens of times before but if you really listen and observe them, you can get a clue to what's really happening in their lives. Don't let an elderly parent, especially one who may be ill, feel that they will burden you by asking for help. We needed their help when we were starting out in the world.