Working with the Family

You may have bickered incessently with your own brother or sister when growing up; however, when it comes to caregiving, there is nothing like having a sibling to share the work load. Caregiving can easily become overwhelming for anyone - it just makes sense to delegate. I feel fortunate that I have two sisters; when it came time for us to help our parents, our trio worked quite well together.

Having an open conversation about all of this will help. Discuss specific roles with eachother ... identify who will do what. Obviously, if a family member has an interest or experience in a certain area, he/she will be drawn to that area. Let this happen, by all means. It simply makes the most sense for someone to utilize his/her strengths effectively. If a family member feels uncomfortable with serving in a certain position, do not force this upon him/her. This typically leads to resentful caregivers - something you definitely do not need. If there is a caregiving chore which is being ignored by everybody, can you find someone else to do this instead? Another option would be to share those disliked duties amongst the family so that each sibling takes a turn.

Check in with your siblings regarding your own workload regularly. Are you comfortable with doing what you are doing? Is this becoming too unmanageable?

I must give special recognition to the only children in this world - those without brothers or sisters. Caregiving for only children can become even more arduous, as they have no immediate support system. In this case, only children must become even more aware of outside individuals, businesses and services available to help them. Remember, whether you have siblings or are an only child, seek respite time. Getting away from the situation is necessary. You cannot do it all.