How to Devise a Comprehensive Senior Care Plan with Your Family

Caring for an elderly parent can be a full-time job, so it’s often helpful to get siblings involved in order to divide up the work. However, this issue can be a touchy subject among family members. One sibling may feel that they’re shouldering too much of the burden, while another may feel as if they’re excluded from the decision making process regarding their parent’s care. In order to keep everyone satisfied and ensure that caretaker burnout doesn’t happen, keep these tips in mind:

Have a formal meeting

While it may seem strange to call a formal meeting with members of your family, this is often the best way to establish a solid plan for caring for your aging parent. Instead of assuming that everyone is on the same page about caretaking responsibilities, get it all out in the open during this conversation. If you’re scattered throughout various parts of the country, schedule a conference call or a Google hangout. 

Be realistic about who can do what

While everyone wants to chip in to help care for your elderly loved one, it’s not always possible to ask all siblings to make an equal contribution. For example, if one person lives across the country and another is caring for a newborn baby, other siblings will need to carry more of the caregiving weight. There’s no need to feel shame or guilt about this, but it’s important to be honest. Don’t offer to make dinner for mom every night when that commitment simply isn’t realistic. When everyone is honest about what they can and can’t do, it prevents the senior from accidentally being neglected. 

According to professionals who work in at-home care, Cedar Valley families should consider mapping out the senior’s daily care schedule on a calendar. This calendar can then be typed up and distributed to all of the siblings, ensuring that everyone knows exactly when and what they need to be doing to assist their elderly parent.

Don’t be afraid to ask for additional help

Sometimes adult children feel guilty about bringing in someone from elder care services in order to care for their senior. Remember that there is no shame in asking for extra help from someone outside of the family. So long as the senior is properly cared for, that’s all that matters.