Caring for aging parents with your siblings can raise a number of challenges.
As children, it wasn’t always easy to get along with our siblings. So it’s no surprise that the memories of past hurts from sibling conflict can resurface in our adult years. When trying to work together with siblings while arranging care or caring for aging parents, it can raise new challenges in decision-making and fairly dividing up parent-care responsibilities.
President-elect Gregory French of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys explains, “What a family member considers ‘fair’ is very much dictated from that family member’s perspective…there’s a lot of family baggage that comes out, like: ‘Mom paid for your MBA, and she didn’t do that for me.’”
The following tips can help you and your siblings find common ground to most effectively care for your aging parents:
Make a concerted effort to put aside any issues from your growing up years when caring for aging parents. Several indicators that you or your siblings are holding onto past hurts and grudges include:
Call Visiting Care Giving Services to partner with a St. Charles caregiver to assist you in caring for your aging parents. We’re here with reliable respite care services that allow you and your siblings plenty of time for self-care, easing stress and anxiety and providing the peace of mind you need. You can reach us any time at (636) 493-9058. See our Service Area page for a full listing of the communities we serve.