Caring for elderly parents can be overwhelming alone, and having help from siblings can be a huge relief.
As the saying goes, many hands make light work, and that’s definitely true when it comes to caring for elderly parents. If you and your siblings work together well to meet the care needs of your senior family members, kudos! In many instances, however, one individual undertakes the majority of the responsibilities. This can quickly lead to hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and conflict.
The following simple steps can help you more fairly distribute caregiving tasks with your siblings.
- Set up a meeting with your siblings. It’s important to ensure that you and your siblings are on the same page. Straightforward, open communication is vital to sharing your perspective and hearing theirs. Clearly explain that you’re feeling overwhelmed with taking on the majority of the caregiving duties, and therefore you would appreciate more help.
- Create a list. Be specific about all of the obligations that go into your role as the primary caregiver. Decide who is best equipped to assist in each area based upon time or distance limitations. Even if one of your siblings lives out of the area, there are many ways to assist remotely, such as exploring resources and services, setting aside scheduled time for FaceTiming, paying bills online, etc. In-person tasks may include:
- Preparing meals
- Cleaning and laundry
- Yard work
- Grocery shopping along with other errands
- Pet care
- Transportation to doctors’ appointments, the beauty salon, weekly religious services, etc.
- Document details. Once you have decided upon a fair division of responsibilities, document your decisions and give a copy to each person. Note other important issues that came up in your conversation so you can revisit what was talked about in a subsequent meeting. Be sure to think through future planning needs as well. If one of your parents is in the first stages of dementia, for example, you’ll want to be prepared for evolving care needs as the disease advances.
Despite having the help of your sisters and brothers, taking care of aging parents still has its challenges, especially when keeping up with your own family, household, career, etc. One great way to ensure a healthy life balance for you as well as your siblings is by working with Live Free Home Health Care, a provider of home care in Belmont, NH and the surrounding communities.
Our senior care experts are fully trained and knowledgeable in all of the care tasks mentioned above and a whole lot more. We’re here to work with your family to fill in the gaps in care – whether just for a few hours every week or up to and including 24/7 assistance. This allows you and your siblings to determine the care tasks you want to manage yourselves, and then leave the remainder to us.
Provide your elderly parents with the most beneficial care, while guaranteeing you and your siblings have sufficient time for self-care. Get in touch with Live Free Home Health Care at 603-217-0149 for a complimentary assessment and for more information about how we can help.