Keeping the Peace While Caring for Aging Parents

Keeping the Peace While Caring for Aging Parents

By December 4, 2014News, Uncategorized

After years of bickering in the back seat of the station wagon, you have finally become friends with your brothers and sisters. But nothing can strain that relationship more than caring for your aging parents. Approved Home Health has compiled the following checklist that can help you and your siblings better manage the care of your senior family members.

 First, identify and list the needs that will enable your parents to remain independent and help avoid family conflict. Some of the tasks to consider include:

  • Meals
  • Housekeeping
  • Scheduling doctors’ appointments
  • Bill paying
  • Grocery shopping
  • Companionship

Key needs might be:

  • Housing
  • Medical care
  • Activities of daily living
  • End-of-life planning, including advance directives, long-term care, estate planning and funeral planning

 

  • Now find agencies and services that can help meet those needs, such as senior services and home care providers like Approved Home Health.

 

  • Divide the tasks and skills among yourselves and the services that are available. For the plan to work, somebody needs to take on the responsibility of primary caregiver and plan coordinator. That role often falls to the oldest daughter. Remember to:
    • Divide the tasks so that every family member has a role.
    • Make sure the tasks fit the needs of the siblings as well as your senior loved one.
    • Keep the list flexible for the changing needs of your parent(s) as well as the demands on you and your siblings.
    • Include regular times to stay in touch in order to promote teamwork and decision-making, as well as avoid miscommunication and misunderstanding.
    • Make sure no one is doing too much.

 

  • Finally, if you are the primary caregiver, ask for help when you need it. If you are a long-distance caregiver, there are still ways to help with such things as online services or bill paying, as well as staying in touch through telephone calls, letters and emails.

 

The team at Approved Home Health can assist with many of the tasks and key needs of seniors. Call us today at 941-870-8740 for a complimentary nursing evaluation.