Senior parent care can be so much easier with the help of siblings.
According to the old saying, many hands make light work, and that is certainly true regarding senior parent care. In the event that you and your siblings interact with each other well to meet the needs of your senior family members, well done! Quite often, however, one sibling takes on the majority of the responsibilities. This could quickly lead to misunderstandings, conflict, and hurt feelings.
These three basic steps will allow you to more fairly distribute caregiving tasks with your siblings.
- Call a family meeting. It is imperative to ensure that you and your siblings are all on the same page. Sincere, open communication is essential to discussing your perspective and hearing theirs. Truthfully explain that you are feeling stressed with taking on the majority of the caregiving jobs, and that you’d like more assistance.
- Write a list. Be specific about all of the responsibilities that go into your family caregiver role. Determine who is best equipped to provide support in each area according to time or distance limitations. Even if one of your siblings resides out of the area, there are numerous ways to provide support remotely, such as researching resources and services, setting aside regular time for FaceTiming, paying bills online, etc. In-person tasks can include:
- Making meals
- Cleaning and laundry
- Yard work
- Food shopping along with other errands
- Pet care
- Transportation to doctors’ visits, the beauty salon, weekly religious services, etc.
- Record details. Once you have agreed upon a reasonable division of tasks, document your decisions and give a copy to each person. Note any other important issues that came about in your discussion so you can revisit what was mentioned in subsequent meetings. Make sure to think through future planning needs as well. If one of your parents is in the early stages of dementia, for instance, you will want to be ready for growing care needs as the disease progresses.
Despite having the help of your brothers and sisters, taking care of older adults can present challenges, specifically when juggling your own career, household, family, etc. One great way to guarantee a healthy life balance for you as well as your siblings is by partnering with Grace Home Care, a provider of home care for the elderly with dementia in Topeka, KS, and so much more.
Our caregivers are fully trained and experienced in all of the care tasks listed above and many more. We’re here to work with your loved ones to fill in the gaps in care – whether for a few hours each week or up to and including around-the-clock support. This allows you and your siblings the opportunity to determine the care tasks you want to manage yourselves, and leave the rest to us.
Provide your loved ones with the most beneficial senior parent care, while making sure you and your siblings have enough time for self-care. Get in touch with Grace Home Care at 785-286-2273 for a free assessment and for more information on the ways we help families throughout Topeka.