It can be hard for adult children to understand what their parents are going through as they age, because they haven’t gone through it themselves. How adult children can help parents adjust to changeRosowsky says there are several ways adult children can help aging parents adjust to life’s vicissitudes. The older adult, though, “doesn’t want to be wrapped up.” Rather, they want to maintain their sense of autonomy and advocacy. But when the staff member asked the older adult to tell them a story about their life, it altered the dynamic. By telling a story, she says — by giving something — the older adult became an equal part of the exchange.