RESIDENTIAL CARE CENTER FOR THE ELDERLY (RCFE)

How to Handle Siblings Who Don’t Help With Aging Parents

How to Handle Siblings Who Don’t Help With Aging Parents

Caring for aging parents can be challenging for adult children. Constant attention is required for your parents to receive the best care. The task itself can be too much for one person to take on, especially if sibling conflicts prevent everyone from lending a helpful hand.

Aging adults who don’t reside in a residential care center may require more help from their adult children. What if some siblings don’t contribute to the needs of the parents? What if circumstances, such as distance or scheduling prevent one or more siblings from helping out?

Here are a few suggestions to consider when siblings don’t help out with aging parents:

Have Realistic Expectations

It is important for siblings to set realistic expectations of other siblings. Most tasks or responsibilities will rarely be equally divided. There is usually one or two siblings that take on most of the work.

Practice Effective Communication

When siblings aren’t around daily, it may be difficult for them to know what is needed of them. There is no way for them to know how much work the other sibling(s) is doing unless they are told. Communicate with your siblings and explain where help is needed. Communicate with each other to spread them out as evenly as possible. A residential care center may be able to assist with caring for aging adults.

Location of Other Siblings

The amount of time and help other siblings contribute depends on how far they live from their parents also. It’s common for siblings who live nearby to help more often. These are the siblings who normally attend doctor’s visits, run errands and respond to emergency situations. Those siblings who live farther away should try and help in any way possible. They should also relinquish major decision-making to the sibling(s) that live closer to the parents.

Sibling Denial

In some cases, siblings may not realize or be in denial about the amount of help or attention their parents require. In these scenarios, communicate important info with them by sending an email or calling a family meeting. Gather all notes from the doctor, test-results and medical diagnosis to share with other siblings. Include information about residential care centers in the area in case outside help is needed.

Identify and utilize individual strengths

Each sibling will have their own set of unique strengths. One may be able to provide hands-on-care, while another may be more equipped to deal with emotional issues the parents face. There will need to be someone assigned to oversee financials and legalities for the parents.

Broadview Residential Care Center can help eliminate some of the tasks assumed by siblings. Contact us today to learn how we can help you care for you aging parents.

We invite you to call us at (818) 246-4951 and schedule a tour of our
beautiful facility to discuss your loved ones needs.